ANDERSON, Ind.-- The Trine men's basketball team shut down the potent offense of Anderson to earn an 82-63 victory over the Ravens Wednesday night in O.C. Lewis Gym.
The Thunder held Anderson to 32 points below its season scoring average on the night. Trine's 10th-best scoring defense in the nation held a team that was shooting 50 percent from the field (20th in the nation) to just a 37.3 percent (22-of-59) effort on the night. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) provided the bulk of the offense, scoring 32 points on 10-of-19 shooting to top the 30-point mark for the second time this season. Anderson was led by Nathaniel Acree's 15 points. The Thunder improved to 5-1 on the season. The Ravens fell to 4-2.
Holmquist added nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. The two blocks moved him into second in team history in that category with 93 in his career. He finished 10-of-19 from the floor. Holmquist's work on the boards helped Trine hold a 40-27 rebounding edge and a 37-23 advantage in points in the paint.
Tarvis Malone (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) poured in a career-high 15 points for the Thunder, knocking down 6-of-10 from the field. He was 3-of-7 from three-point range. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville) added 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Austin Woolett (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) came off the bench to score a career-high eight points.
Trine made things difficult on the Ravens' top scorers all night. Acree came into the night shooting 49 percent from three-point range, but was held to a 5-of-13 (38.4 percent) clip Wednesday. Leading-scorer Cole Hartman was held to 12 points, seven below his season average.
The Thunder were able to get a little separation for the first time late in the first half as an 8-0 spurt opened up the first 10-point lead of the night. A three by Malone and layups by Holmquist and Woolett keyed the run. Trine would take a seven-point lead into the break.
A later 12-2 run in the second half proved to be the dagger. Over a span of 4:16, the Thunder turned a 49-41 edge into a commanding 61-43 lead with 11:17 to play. The run was bookended by threes by Dixon and Malone. Trine's lead would not shrink to single-digits the rest of the night.
The Thunder return home this Saturday, Dec. 12 for a non-conference game against Great Lakes Christian. The game will follow a women's contest between Trine and Saint Mary's. Tip-off of the men's game is slated for 3 p.m., or 30-minutes after the conclusion of the preceding women's game.