ANGOLA, Ind.-- Trine used a big second half performance to grind out a 66-56 victory over Albion in MIAA-action Saturday afternoon at Hershey Hall.
The Thunder outscored the Britons 40-26 to overcome a four-point halftime deficit, shooting 60 percent from the field (15-of-25) while holding Albion to a 10-of-26 (38.5 percent) clip. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville) scored 27 points to lead the way, with 19 of those coming in the second half. The sophomore was 8-of-11 from the field after halftime and finished 12-of-19 overall. Travell Oakes led the Britons with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Trine improved to 12-5, 5-1 in MIAA play. Albion falls to 8-9 overall, 1-5 in league play.
Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) added 20 points on a 7-of-11 performance from the field for the Thunder. Ben Syroka (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer) dished out eight assists without committing a turnover for the second-consecutive game. The junior also provided a scoring spark with 12 points on a 4-of-6 effort from the field.
Trine shot 54 percent on the afternoon (25-of-46) against a Briton defense that had held opponents to a 40.4 percent clip entering the game. Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) provided a big rebounding spark off the bench, grabbing seven boards and scoring two points.
Dakota Kazen added 14 points on a 5-of-12 shooting effort for Albion. Jordan Herron came off the bench to score 10 points and grab eight rebounds. The Britons held a 30-22 edge in scoring in the paint, and scored 13 second-chance points. The Albion bench produced 21 points.
The Britons used an 8-0 run to take control of the contest midway through the first half. Trine was able to hang around, and pulled within 30-26 at the half after Holmquist found Good for a short jumper as time expired.
Two 6-0 runs keyed a stretch where the Thunder outscored Albion 19-9 over a span of eight minutes. Dixon scored 10 of his points during that stretch. The first six-point burst busted open a 36-all tie and gave Trine the lead for good. The second gave the Thunder a 55-45 lead with 5:56 to play. The Britons were never able to get any closer than eight the rest of the contest.
Trine travels to Olivet this Wednesday, Jan. 28 to close out the first half of MIAA-play. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.