ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine men's basketball team dominated the second half to notch an 80-67 victory over MIAA foe Calvin Saturday in Hershey Hall.
It was a back-and-forth ballgame until Trine took the lead with 15:45 to play and never looked back. They led by as much as 18 during that final stretch. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville), who sparked the late run, led the Thunder with 29 points along with five rebounds and four assists. Michael Wilks paced the Knights with 18 points. Trine went to 14-5 on the season and got back to .500 in conference play at 4-4. Calvin fell to 8-11 overall and 3-5 in the MIAA.
Dixon scored 20 of his 29 points in the second half. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) added 23 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, and Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) chipped in 13. The top scoring defense in the MIAA held Calvin to 35.5 percent shooting in the second half.
Cam Denney had 13 points for the Knights. Calvin also got 19 points from its bench. They shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and led by as much as five.
The first half was a tightly contested battle, as there were 15 lead changes and neither team led by more than five. Trine took a two-point lead into halftime after a Holmquist jumper made it 33-31 with 16 seconds remaining.
The game remained close until Dixon's tiebreaking three made it 42-39. The Thunder dominated from then on, going on multiple runs, including a four-minute stretch where they only allowed two points.
Trine travels to Kalamazoo next Wednesday, Feb. 3 to face a Hornet team looking for their first conference victory.
