ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine men's basketball team fought back from a six-point deficit in overtime to prevail 76-73 over Manchester in a thriller Wednesday night in Hershey Hall.
Things looked bleak for the Thunder after an Adrian Johnson three put the Spartans up 73-67 with just 1:18 to play in the extra period, but Trine was able to fight back. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville) drew a foul on the ensuing possession and converted both free throws to cut the score to 73-69 just eight seconds later.
Huge defensive plays on back-to-back possessions kept the Thunder alive. Dixon picked the pocket of a Manchester ball-handler and converted the layup on the other end to cut the deficit to two with 58 seconds to play. Then, with the shot clock winding down, Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) swatted a Blake Brouwer shot attempt on the baseline to force another empty Spartan possession.
Cummings then kept play alive after a missed three at the other end, kicking the rebound to Tarvis Malone (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit). The senior stepped into a deep three from the right wing and buried it to give Trine a 74-73 lead with 16 seconds to play.
Johnson, who had the hot hand all night for the Spartans, got off a short look in traffic with time winding down at the other end. His bank attempt fell off the front of the rim, with Dixon grabbing the rebound. The senior sank both free throws with two seconds left and Manchester was unable to get another look at the basket as the Thunder escaped with the victory.
Dixon led Trine with 23 points, scoring all of those after halftime. He scored nine of those points when stage was biggest in overtime, knocking down 2-of-4 from the field and all four of his free throw attempts.
Johnson proved to be a tough match-up all night for the Thunder, as the Spartan freshman poured in a game-high 29 points on a scalding 12-of-17 effort from the field. Johnson scored 17 second-half points and added five more in overtime. Matt Brown added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Brady Dolezal also reached double-figures with 10 points for Manchester.
Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) notched his sixth double-double of the season for Trine, scoring 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Holmquist leads all MIAA players in double-doubles this season. The senior scored nine points in each half and finished 9-of-18 from the floor.
Malone's go-ahead three capped a big night for the senior, as he scored all 15 of his points on a 5-of-9 effort from three-point range. Malone tied his career-high scoring effort with the performance. The senior is averaging a career-best 8.1 points per game this season. Paced by Malone, the Thunder knocked down a season-high 12 threes.
Cummings added seven rebounds and blocked three shots off the bench.
Trine improved to 9-1 on the season with the victory, matching the team's best 10-game start since 1989-90. The Thunder have now won seven-straight games. Manchester fell to 4-6 overall. The Spartans are 2-2 against MIAA opponents this year.
Trine will travel to Ohio Northern to face the Polar Bears this Saturday, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. A victory would give the Thunder its best start in over 30 years.