TIFFIN, Ohio – The Trine University men's basketball team traveled to Heidelberg University on Wednesday night to face the Student Princes and the 24th-ranked team in NCAA DIII came away with the win by a score of 82-72 to remain undefeated at 6-0 this season. With the loss, Heidelberg is now 3-2 overall.
Both teams brought their racecar package on offense in the game with both teams humming up and down the floor. That set up the Thunder to break the program record for most blocked shots in a single game with 12. Senior forward Emmanuel Megnanglo was responsible for five of those blocked shots and also pulled down 17 rebounds to tie Trine's NCAA DIII record for most rebounds in a game.
Despite surrendering 25 offensive rebounds, the defense was tough for the Thunder as they held their opponents to 34.2% (26-of-76) from the field while tallying a 50.0% (33-of-66) mark themselves. Trine struggled to shoot it from beyond the arc, but were able to attack the rim for 58 points in the paint.
The first six points of the night belonged to the Thunder thanks to makes by seniors Cortez Garland and Brent Cox. The Student Princes were held without a point until nearly three minutes into the contest, but from there it was a fast-paced affair for both teams. At the halfway point in the first half, Trine had extended their lead to 20-10 thanks to a pair of made free throws by Drew Moore. The defense of Megnanglo and junior Aidan Smylie were pivotal in defending Heidelberg's size.
The Student Princes were able to chip away at the deficit they faced and took their first lead of the contest with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. Both sides went to the free throw line consistently late in the period, but a layup off the offensive glass by Megnanglo would be the final score of an even 35-35 first half.
Cox started the second half on the right foot with a made jump shot while Fred Garland followed that up with a make as well. Heidelberg would come out of the locker room even hotter and head coach Brooks Miller called for time with 17:01 left in the game trailing 44-41. A made dunk by Megnanglo would provide the spark needed to reclaim the lead at 13:23 to go thanks to a pair of free throws by Cortez Garland and Hayden Jones extended the lead to 53-49 with the team's second make from deep.
A quick 5-0 run by the Student Princes knotted the contest up once more, but the next eight points belonged to the Thunder to take a lead that would not be relinquished for the rest of the night. The opposing timeout at 9:04 left in the half helped the home team to regroup and knock down a few shots from three-point land, but Heidelberg was never able to get to within one possession.
A 6-0 run capped by a dunk by Megnanglo made it 76-66 and slammed the door shut on any opportunity of a comeback by the Student Princes. A steal and score by Cox gave Trine their largest lead of the game at 80-67 and the visitors would get to the final score of 82-72 with a few stops in the closing seconds.
Cortez Garland was the team leader in scoring with 22 points. Joining him in double-figures were Cox with 16 points, Fred Garland with 14 points and Megnanglo with 12 points. Megnanglo recorded his first double-double of the year with his 12 points and 17 rebounds (nine offensive, eight defensive). Moore chipped in with nine points off the bench.
The Thunder are off for 10 days before they host the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on December 9 at 3 p.m.