Angola, Ind. – The Trine men's basketball team dropped a nail-biter, 66-64, to Calvin in the conference opener Wednesday night at Hershey Hall.
Trine led for most of the game, but the Knights kept it tight. They tied the game at 62 with 1:09 to play, and took the lead with 21 seconds left. Trine's Myles Copeland (Toledo, Ohio / St. John's) kissed a contested layup off the glass to even the score with eight seconds remaining, but Calvin's Tony Canonie drove down the floor for a game-winning layup in the waning moments. The loss drops the Thunder to 5-7 overall and 0-1 in the MIAA. Calvin improves to 6-6 on the season and 1-0 in MIAA play.
The Knights almost cost themselves the win at the free throw line, shooting just 10 for 21 (. On the other hand, Calvin's bench played a key role in the victory, outscoring Trine's bench 33 to six. Calvin also put Trine in foul trouble, with two Thunder players fouling out.
Mike Siegal led Calvin with 17 points, making seven of 12 shots from the field. He also had six rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal. All ten players who saw action for the Knights scored.
Copeland led the charge for Trine, putting in 19 points to go with eight rebounds. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Thunder. Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio / Ottawa Hills) chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.
Trine travels to Kalamazoo Saturday, January 7, for a conference battle with the Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
Article courtesy Grant Tingley, Communication New Media '19