ANGOLA, IND. -- For the second time this week, the Trine University men's basketball team battled its opponent to overtime, but this time, fell on the losing end of an 88-84 outcome against Hope (Mich.) College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association matchup at the MTI Center.
All five starters for the Thunder scored in double figures, led by sophomore Maurice Hunter (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) who posted a second-straight double-double finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Myles Copeland (Perrysburg, Ohio/Toledo St. John's) led the team in points with 19 and shot an even 50.0 percent (eight-of-16) from the field. Sophomore Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) was second in scoring with 18 points and had four three-pointers (four-of-nine overall). The junior duo of Pete Smith (Bristol, Ind./Northridge) and Marcus Winters (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) both ended the game with 10 points each. Winters also added eight boards and dished out five assists.
Both teams played a fast back-and-forth pace for the entirety of the game which resulted in nine ties and 13 lead changes. Trine (9-10, 5-3 MIAA) scored the first three points of the game to grab the early lead, but an ensuing 8-0 scoring run by Hope (11-8, 5-3 MIAA) put the Flying Dutchmen ahead by five points, 8-5, with 17:26 to go in the first half.
Trine then outscored the visitors, 11-4, with a total of six points scored by Copeland, to regain the lead, 14-12, at the 15:04 mark. Hope eventually took the lead back and led by as many as six points, 32-26, with 8:13 left to play. The Thunder later pulled to within a point, 36-35, with just under four minutes to go thanks to a triple by Johnson, but the Dutchmen would lead by three points at the break, 42-39.
Trailing by four points, 52-48, with 14 minutes left in regulation, Trine scored seven straight points that began with a tre by Smith, to pull ahead on the scoreboard, 55-52. Hope took the lead with 10:19 to go and maintained a slight advantage until the 2:42 mark when Trine recaptured control as part of back-to-back three-pointers by Johnson and sophomore Jason Clune (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) to make the score, 73-71.
Hope evened the game at 73-73 on a jumper with just over a minute-and-a-half on the scoreboard. Both teams had chances for the possible go-ahead and winning shot in the final seconds, but could not convert, keeping the game knotted at 73-73 and forced overtime.
Niether squad led by more than a basket in the ovetime period up until the 1:30 mark when the Dutchmen connected on consecutive three-pointers to move ahead, 86-82. Following a layup by Hunter that cut the deficit in half, 86-84, with 37 seconds on the clock, Hope put the game away with a pair of free-throws to claim the 88-84 victory.
Hope also had five players score in double figures, led by Jason Beckman who finished with a game-high 25 points.
Trine will wrap-up its three-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 31 when the Thunder take on Olivet (Mich.) College at the MTI Center. The two teams will square-off at 7:30 p.m.