ANGOLA, IND. -- Trine University men's basketball senior forward Myles Copeland (Perrysburg, Ohio/Toledo St. John's) scored 20 points in a 74-63 win against Kalamazoo (Mich.) College in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action at the MTI Center in Angola, Ind.
Trine (12-5, 5-1 MIAA) never trailed in the game and recorded its first double-digit lead with 13:11 left in the first half following a pair of free-throws by Copeland en route to leading by 12 points as part of an 8-1 run with a score of 20-8.
Kalamazoo (3-14, 0-6 MIAA) later pulled to within eight points at the 7:24 mark when five-of-six Thunder freebies put the lead back over 10 points and went on to build a 16-point margin just before the end of the period thanks to a layup by senior Pete Smith (Bristol, Ind./Northridge) that made the score, 42-26. The Hornets scored the final points of the half, but still trailed by 14 points, 42-28, at intermission.
Early in the second half, Trine posted its largest advantage of the contest of 17 points at the 18:19 mark following a layup by Copeland. Kalamazoo then scored six straight points, but would trail by double figures for the majority of the half until just under seven minutes remaining when the Hornets made it a nine-point game, 60-51.
A layup by senior Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) gave Trine an 11-point lead, 64-53, with 5:30 to go, but the Hornets then went on an ensuing 6-0 run to get to within five points, 64-59, with under two minutes left. The duo of Copeland and junior Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) scored the final eight points of the game for Trine, including a combined six free-throws down the stretch, and sealed the victory for the Thunder who went on to win by the final of 74-63.
Copeland scored his team-high 20 points on five-of-15 shooting (33.3 percent) and finished 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) at the charity stripe. He also grabbed a game and team-tying high six rebounds. Johnson finished second on the team in scoring with 17 points with 10 points coming at the free-throw line (10-of-10 overall) and dished out a game-high nine assists.
Joining Copeland and Johnson in double figures in scoring were junior Maurice Hunter (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) and Cummings with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Cummings also blocked three shots on the afternoon to bring his season total to a team-best 23 blocks.
Trine will begin a three-game road trip on Wednesday, Jan. 23 when the Thunder travel to Alma, Mich. to take on Alma College. The game is slated to start at 7:30 p.m.