ALMA, MICH. -- Senior Maurice Hunter (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) scored a season-high 26 points to help lead the Trine University men's basketball team to a 91-78 win against Alma (Mich.) College in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play in Alma, Mich.
Trine shot 50.8 percent (33-of-65) from the floor for the game and went to the free-throw line 23 times and coverted 18 of its attempts (78.3 percent).
Hunter scored his team-high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting (55.0 percent) and also had four rebounds. Seniors Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) and Marcus Winters (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) both scored 16 points. Winters also grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds to complete the double-double and "flirted" with another triple-double as he had a game-high seven assists.
Rounding out the high scorers for the Thunder was the duo of senior Jake Daniels (Grand Blanc, Mich./Holly) and sophomore Bryce Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) who both scored 11 points.
Trine (13-7, 7-2 MIAA) led by eight points at halftime, but would trail by as many as four points, 13-9, in the early minutes of the first half. An ensuing basket by Hunter started a 9-0 scoring run for Trine which resulted in a seven-point lead at the end of the run with 11:36 to go in the period.
The Thunder never trailed the rest of the half despite the Scots working their way back to within a point twice that included a 27-26 edge at the 6:49 mark. Leading by a pair of points late in the half, Trine went on another 9-0 run that put the visitors out ahead by double digits, 41-30, and was capped by a triple by Daniels. Alma ended the period with a three-pointer of its own to cut the Trine lead back to single figures at the intermission by a score of 41-33.
A layup by Alma began the second half and got the Scots to within six points, but a layup by Hunter on Trine's offensive possession following the Alma score, began an 11-2 run and increased the Thunder lead back to double figures with a 15-point advantage, 52-37, at the 15:04 mark.
Trine's lead remained in double figures for the majority of the remainder of the half and later increased to as many as 18 points as the result of an 8-0 run that ended in a jumper by Winters and made the score, 62-44, with under 11 minutes remaining. Alma then began to make a rally and outscored Trine, 23-13, over the next 7:20 and made it an eight-point game, 75-67, at the 3:29 mark.
A pair of free-throws by Hunter put Trine back out in front by 10 points as the Thunder then took advantage of free attempts at the charity stripe as Alma looked to foul in an effort to get back into the game. The Hunter freebies were part of 15 total attempts by Trine in the final 2:44 of the contest. The Thunder were successful on 12 of its last 15 attempts that helped keep the lead over the double-figure mark as Trine went on to the 91-78 final.
Trine will host its next two games at the MTI Center, beginning with a MIAA matchup against Adrian (Mich.) College on Saturday, Feb. 8. The game is set to begin at 3 p.m.