ANGOLA, Ind.-- After a back-and-forth first half, the Trine men's basketball team pulled away from North Park in the final 20 minutes to earn a 78-60 victory Thursday evening in Hershey Hall.
After a first half that featured five ties and 10 lead changes, the Thunder never saw its lead shrink to less than three in the second half. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) led the way with his second-consecutive double-double to open the season, scoring a career-high 33 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Holmquist surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for his career, becoming the fifth player to do so since Trine joined NCAA Division III in 2004. Colin Lake scored 18 points and hit 5-of-9 three-point attempts to lead the Vikings. Trine improved to 2-0 on the year. North Park fell to 1-1.
Holmquist's effort included a 12-of-20 effort from the floor. He hit 9-of-11 free throws. The senior has 14 career double-doubles to his credit. The 33 points are the most scored by a Thunder player since Ian Jackson's 44-point effort at Olivet on Feb. 9, 2013.
Freshman Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) played a huge role in the second half success of the Thunder, scoring all 19 of his points in the final 20 minutes. Dodson knocked down 6-of-8 attempts from the field and added eight rebounds. Dodson's effort off the bench led to Trine's bench outscoring its North Park counterparts by a 24-4 margin.
Trine's defense was able to slow North Park leading scorer Juwan Henry, holding the two-time All-CCIW performer to just 10 points on a 3-of-12 shooting effort. Holmquist was able to draw two charges on Henry in the second half to help foul Henry out. Henry dished out six assists. Jordan Robinson added 14 points and eight boards for the Vikings.
Holmquist's work keyed the back-and-forth first half effort for the Thunder. The senior scored 18 points in the opening 20 minutes. Tarvis Malone (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) added nine of his 11 points on three treys. Trine was able to carry a 36-33 lead into the break. Neither team led by more than four points in the first half.
Eight-straight points to open the second half gave the Thunder its first double-digit lead of the contest at 44-33 with 16:24 to play. That lead would stretch as high as 13 before a 14-6 surge by the Vikings brought North Park back within 57-54 with 7:16 on the clock.
Trine responded to the Vikings run with a 15-4 surge of their own to put the game out of reach. Holmquist and Dodson combined for all 15 of those points, with two treys by Dodson capping off the run with a 72-58 lead with 2:42 to play. The Thunder defense forced four turnovers during the deciding stretch. Trine only came up empty on one possession during during that span. The Thunder forced 10 turnovers in the second half.
Trine shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the floor, while holding North Park to a 21-of-50 (42 percent clip. The Thunder forced the Vikings into 15 turnovers while committing just eight miscues of their own. Trine scored 20 points off turnovers, while NPU came away with eight.
The Thunder will venture away from Hershey Hall for the first time this season when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan next Tuesday. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. The Battling Bishops are ranked 13th in the nation by D3Hoops.com.
