ALMA, Mich.-- The Trine men's basketball team was defeated by Alma, 69-50 in MIAA action Saturday night at Art Smith Arena.
The Scots outrebounded the Thunder by a 43-24 margin and owned the paint, outscoring Trine 28-4 inside. Four Alma players scored in double figures, led by DJ Beckman and Scott Nikodemski with 13 points apiece. Nikodemski knocked down all six of his field goal attempts and dished out four assists. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville) paced Trine with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-19 shooting. Dixon added four assists. The Thunder fall to 15-8 overall, 5-7 in the MIAA. The Scots improved to 18-5 overall and 11-1 in the conference.
Doug Bradfield and Kevin Gamble each added 10 points for Alma. The Scots forced Trine into 18 turnovers, which were converted into 25 points. Paced by Gamble, Alma's bench outscored its Thunder counterparts by a 16-2 margin. The Scots shot 47 percent (29-of-62) from the field.
Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) added 15 points on five treys for Trine. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) scored 10 points and added five rebounds and four assists. The Thunder shot 35 percent (18-of-52) overall.
The Scots opened the game on an 8-0 run, but Trine was able to fight back to take the lead midway through the first half. Dixon scored nine points to pace the first half effort. A Dodson three gave the Thunder its latest lead at 18-17 with 8:17 to play in the first half.
Alma outscored Trine 19-5 the rest of the first half to take a 36-23 lead into the half. Trevor Gernaat and Doug Bradfield paced the offense during that stretch with six points apiece.
A Dodson three cut the deficit to single digits early in the second half, but that was as close as the Thunder would get. The Scots would go on to lead by as much as 26 in the second half.
Trine returns to action Wednesday, Feb. 17 at Olivet. The Thunder will enter play tied for fourth-place in the conference with Adrian. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.