KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Trine men's basketball team fought back from a late deficit to defeat Kalamazoo, 65-62, in MIAA-action Saturday afternoon.
The Thunder faced a seven-point deficit with 2:32 to play, but closed the game on a 13-3 run to claim the victory. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) scored 21 points and knocked down all 10 of his free throw attempts to lead Trine. Dixon moved into second on the school's scoring list during the NCAA Division III era (2004-present), passing former teammate Jared Holmquist in the process. Dixon now ranks ninth in program history with 1,553 career points.
Facing a 59-52 deficit with 2:32 to play, the Thunder went to work as Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) began the comeback with a three. After a stop, Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind. / Elkhart Central) split a pair of free throws to cut the score to a one-possession game. After a steal by Adison Daub (Corunna, Ind. / DeKalb), Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio / Ottawa Hills) knocked down two more free throws to cut the deficit to one.
Cummings then made a huge defensive play, coming away with a block. Dixon was fouled and knocked down both free throws to give Trine a 60-59 lead with 41 seconds to play. On the ensuing Hornet possession, Daub made yet another big defensively play with another steal. A pair of Dixon free throws made it a three-point lead.
After another Thunder defensive stop, Cummings split a pair of free throws to make a two-possession game. Chase Baysdell knocked down a three for Kalamazoo to cut the score to 63-62 with seven seconds remaining. Dixon knocked down his final two free throws and a missed three at the buzzer gave Trine the victory.
The Thunder knocked down 17-of-20 free throws (85 percent), including 10-of-12 during the game-deciding stretch. Johnson came off the bench to score 13 points, 12 of which came during the first half. The freshman knocked down four threes on the afternoon. Trine forced 19 turnovers, which the Thunder converted into 25 points.
Josh Miller paced the Hornets with 16 points off the bench in just 18 minutes of play. Tommy Cerven added 13 points as the Kalamazoo bench produced 37 points. Baysdell also scored 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
Trine improved to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA with the victory. The Hornets fell to 4-8 overall, 0-2 in conference play.
The Thunder will travel to Adrian for another MIAA contest Wednesday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.