ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine men's basketball team defeated Adrian, 65-42, in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference game Saturday afternoon in Hershey Hall.
Trine's defense was key for its win today. The sound defensive play by the Thunder held the Bulldogs to 34 percent (17-of-50) shooting from the field. Trine converted 19 points off Adrian's 16 turnovers. Will Dixon's (Indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) four steals today moves him into a tie for sixth with Scott Rogers (2009-13) for steals in school history with 154. Trine steals accounted for 10 Bulldog turnovers.
Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) paced the offense with 19 points. He added seven boards, three assists and three steals in a well-rounded effort. Dixon notched 16 points of his own. Jared Dishop (Napoleon, Ohio / Liberty Center) tied his career high with 10 points. He helped with the defensive effort with three blocks. Adison Daub (Corunna, Ind. / DeKalb) had a career high in assists with six.
Trine improved to 11-10 overall and 6-4 in MIAA play. Adrian falls to 7-14 overall and 1-9 in conference.
The Bulldogs took the early lead on the Thunder going up by double digits' midway through the first half. Trine answered back with a 17-0 run in the final minutes of the half to take its first lead of the game. The team's defense sparked the 17-0 run by not allowing the Bulldogs to score over a span of 7:23. Daub's three-pointer at the 2:29 mark gave the Thunder the lead for good. Dodson paced the Thunder in the first half with nine points, all coming from three-point buckets. Trine led Adrian 27-23 going into the second half.
A 14-4 run midway through the second half broke things open and gave the Thunder a double-digit lead. Dixon contributed seven points to the run. Trine's run allowed it to open up a 50-34 lead with 9:15 to play. Trine was efficient offensively in the second half, shooting 64 percent (16-of-25) from the floor while holding Adrian to 33.3 percent (7-of-21).
The Thunder returns to action Wednesday Feb. 8, when it travels to Hope to take on the Flying Dutch in a MIAA conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Article courtesy Cody Konieczki, Trine University, Communications New Media '17