ANGOLA, IND. -- Sophomore forward Maurice Hunter (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) scored a season-high 20 points to lead the Trine University men's basketball team in scoring, but the Thunder would fall on the losing end of a 94-76 decision against Wilmington College in non-conference play at Hershey Hall.
Hunter was one of three Thunder players to score in double figures with his team-high 20 points on eight-of-14 shooting (57.1 percent) and also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. The duo of junior forward Myles Copeland (Perrysburg, Ohio/Toledo St. John's) and sophomore Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 19 points each. Johnson connected on five triples (five-of-10 overall) to score 15 of his 19 points from behind the arc.
Wilmington (4-6) shot over 55 percent (21-of-38) from the field in the first half which allowed the Quakers to outscore Trine (3-6), 22-6, in the first 7:38. Wilmington extended its lead out to 17 points in the period multiple times, including a 30-13 advantage with 10:11 left to play before halftime. The Thunder cut the deficit to 10 points thanks to an ensuing 9-2 scoring run that ended in a layup by Copeland to make it a 32-22 game at the 8:39 mark.
Still trailing by 10 points with just over five minutes to go, the Trine deficit grew as Wilmington scored six straight points to make the score 45-29. The Quakers then tallied their largest lead of the half of 18 points in the final minute that included a halftime score of 53-35.
Wilmington maintained its hot shooting in the second half as the Quakers converted 50.0 percent (15-of-30) of their field goals. Trine looked to make a charge early with four consecutive points by Miles to get to within 14 points, 53-39, early on. But that was as close as the Thunder got the rest of the way as the Quakers never allowed the home team to gain any offensive rhythm and held Trine from making a further run.
The Quakers led by as many as 24 points in the game on two occasions en route to winning by the final score of 94-76.
Trine will conclude its eight-game homestand on Wednesday, Dec. 20 with a matchup against Anderson (Ind.) University. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Hershey Hall.