TIFFIN, OHIO -- Trine University senior men's basketball player Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) scored a team-high 14 points in a 66-63 win against Heidelberg (Ohio) University which put him over the 1,000-point mark for his career.
Langston Johnson has now scored 1,001 in his four years at Trine which makes him the 46th player in men's basketball program history to score 1,000 points or more. He scored his 14 points against the Student Princes on five-of-13 shooting (38.5 percent) with three of his makes coming from behind the arc (three-of-five).
Joining him in double figures was the duo of sophomore Nick Bowman (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and junior Jake Daniels (Grand Blanc, Mich./Holly). Bowman was second in scoring with 11 points and Daniels was third with 10 points.
It was all Trine (5-5) in the first half as the Thunder went into the locker rooms leading by 14 points aided by impressive shooting totals in the first 20 minutes that included 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the floor overall and 53.8 percent (seven-of-13) from long range. Despite the impressive shooting, Heidelberg (2-7) jumped out to an early lead of five points on two occasions, including a 12-7 edge at the 16:01 mark.
The Trine shooting then began to catch fire as a three-pointer by Daniels with 14:17 to go in the half sparked a 13-0 scoring run which put the Thunder ahead on the scoreboard by a margin of nine points, 23-14, with just over 11 minutes left in the period. The run was part of a larger 31-13 scoring streak that ended the first half by the Thunder. Trine posted its first double-digit lead with 7:14 to go after a layup by Bowman and later went on to lead by as many as 14 points twice, including a halftime score of 41-27.
Trine opened up its lead in the early minutes of the second period to its largest of the game of 21 points after two free-throws by Bowman with 14:39 left. But that's when Heidelberg began to make its run and went on an ensuing 12-0 run to narrow the gap to single figures, 50-41, with under 11 minutes to go.
The Student Princes continued their run and later found themselves down by just a basket, 58-56, at the 5:28 mark. Trine later gained a little breathing room and increased its lead to six points, 64-58, with three-and-a-half minutes to go following two free-throws by senior Maurice Hunter (Monroe, Mich./Monroe).
Neither team scored again until the 1:40 mark when Heidelberg connected on a three-pointer and then later converted a pair of free-throws to make it a one-point game, 64-63, with just seconds remaining. The home team was forced to foul Trine and sent Daniels to the free-throw line for a pair of critical shots. Daniels was successful on both attempts for a three-point advantage and the game ended on a defensive steal by senior Marcus Winters (Toledo, Ohio/Catholic Central) that sealed the 66-63 victory.
Up next for Trine will be a trip to Chicago, Ill. to take on the University of Concordia-Chicago on Monday, Dec. 30. The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. EST.