ALMA, Mich. -- A hot shooting night by Alma was too much for Trine to overcome as the Thunder dropped an 85-74 decision to the Scots in MIAA play Wednesday night at Alma College.
Alma shot 58.6 percent (34-of-58) from the field and never trailed after the 18:44 mark of the first half. The Scots, who entered the contest as the nation's best three-point shooting team, knocked down 11-of-23 (48 percent) of their attempts from long distance. Trevor Gernaat scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-22 from the field to lead Alma. Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) countered with a career-high 27 points on a scalding 11-of-14 effort from the field to lead Trine. The Thunder fell to 7-9 overall, 2-3 in the MIAA. The Scots improved to 7-9 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Dodson's efforts included a 5-of-7 performance from three-point range. Myles Copeland (Toledo, Ohio / St, John's) scored 20 points and knocked down 7-of-12 from the field. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) added 19 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Dixon is now three points from becoming the ninth player in program history to score 1,600 career points.
Preston Laketa came off the bench to score 21 points for Alma. He knocked down 8-of-10 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range. Paced by Laketa's efforts, the Scots bench produced 30 points. Kevin Schelbert also reached double figures with 12 points on a 5-of-7 shooting performance.
A Copeland jumper gave the Thunder the first points of the game, but eight straight points from Gernaat gave Alma a lead it would never relinquish. The Scots' largest lead came after a 19-5 surge made the score 34-17 with 6:50 to play in the first half. Gernaat scored 19 of his points during the first half. Copeland scored 15 to pace Trine as the Thunder were able to cut the score to 45-34 at the break.
Dodson scored 19 of his points in the second half, but Trine was unable to pull closer than eight. Dodson knocked down all five of his three-point attempts after halftime. Laketa scored 14 of his points in the second half as the Scots shot 56 percent from the field (15-of-27) to close out the victory.
Trine returns to action Saturday, Jan. 21 as the Thunder travel to Olivet. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.