ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University men's basketball team started the 2020-21 season with a 66-59 win against Adrian (Mich.) College in a non-conference game at the MTI Center in Angola, Ind.
Sophomore Brent Cox (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) led Trine in scoring with 15 points on four-of-10 shooting (40.0 percent) and went seven-of-10 (70.0 percent) at the free-throw line. He also chipped in with six rebounds. Junior Nick Bowman (Angola, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) was second in scoring with 12 points and had a game-tying high four assists.
The duo of juniors Bryce Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) and Aiden Warzecha (Milford, Mich./Milford) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points each. Freshman Emmanuel Mengnanglo (Cotonou, Benin/Amelia Academy) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Bowman started the scoring for Trine (1-0) with a three-pointer which was followed by a layup by junior Griffin Lorimer (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) that gave the Thunder an early 5-0 lead. Adrian (0-1) answered with a 7-0 run to take a slim lead, but momentum quickly shifted back in Trine's favor with six straight points of its own to lead, 11-7, at the 12:24 mark. The six consecutive points were part of a larger 12-2 spurt that ended in a jumper by junior Nate Carbaugh (Fort Wayne, Ind./North Side) and resulted in an eight-point Thunder advantage with 8:22 left to go in the first half.
Adrian responded with an 8-2 run of its own to get to within two points before a layup by Williams, a jumper by Bowman and an additional Williams free-throw put Trine back out in front by seven points, 24-17, with just over five minutes to go. The Bulldogs looked to rally again and pulled to within a point on two occasions, including a 32-31 deficit with 23 seconds left in the period. A pair of free-throws by Warzecha ended the scoring in the half and sent Trine into the locker room, leading by three points, 34-31.
Coming out of the locker rooms, Adrian evened the game at 36-36 early in the second half and took a narrow advantage, 38-37, at the 17:05 mark. The Bulldogs' lead later increased to three points, 45-42, but the two teams found themselves deadlocked in a 49-49 tie with 7:22 to go in regulation. The difference in the game was an ensuing 12-4 run by Trine that put the Thunder out in front for good, 61-53, with just under three minutes remaining.
The Trine lead never dropped below six points the rest of the way as one-of-two freebies by Williams capped the scoring and sent the Thunder to a 66-59 victory.
Trine is scheduled to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio next Friday, Nov. 13 for a non-conference matchup against Mount St. Joseph University. The game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.