ELMHURST, Ill. – In a battle of ranked NCAA DIII institutions, the Trine University men's basketball team came up short against Elmhurst University on the road Wednesday, 81-74. #19 Trine is now 8-1 overall this season while the Blue Jays of #15 Elmhurst remain undefeated at 10-0.
Trine held an 11-point lead at the conclusion of the first half thanks to efficient shooting from three (5-of-7) and the road team took advantage of 11 Elmhurst miscues. The Thunder threw the first punch in the game with four makes in their first five shots to go up 10-2. Drew Moore opened the game with a made jump shot followed by a three from Cortez Garland and five points by Brent Cox.
The lead ballooned to 15-2 thanks to a pair of free throws by Nate Tucker and a three-point make by Cortez Garland before the Blue Jays rattled off eight in a row. Long range shooting helped guide Elmhurst to their first lead of the game at 22-21 with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half.
The following possession was a make by Logan McKenzie and once more the Thunder were able to flex their muscles on the offensive side of the floor to rebuild their advantage. A 12-3 run for the visitors was capped by a Hayden Jones jump shot to go up 34-24. Moore added five points himself in the closing minutes to get to the 41-30 halftime score.
The first six points in the second period belonged to the Blue Jays, but a three by Aidan Smylie worked to thwart off the comeback effort early. Continued pressure by Elmhurst on their side of the floor allowed them to build momentum and tie the contest at 47 all with 13 minutes on the clock.
The two went back-and-forth throughout the middle stages of the second half with a majority of points coming in the paint by Cox, Cortez Garland and Fred Garland. Despite getting to the rim consistently, Elmhurst was able to trade two's for three's to take a five-point lead into a timeout with 4:34 to play at 64-59.
Coming out of the break, the Blue Jays would extend the lead to 70-63 with 1:42 left, forcing Head Coach Brooks Miller to use a timeout to stop the bleeding. Fred Garland made a jump shot to make it a two-possession game once more, but made free throws by Elmhurst kept the Thunder at a deficit. Fred Garland crashed the glass for a putback with 43 seconds left to keep them in it, as well as a made three by Smylie, but after the Blue Jays went 11-for-12 down the stretch from the charity stripe to secure the win for their team.
Smylie and Cortez Garland tied for the team lead in scoring at 15 points apiece. Smylie also added team-highs in rebounds (8) and steals (5). Moore and Cox finished with 11 points each. Trine was outrebounded 41-25 in the game, but outscored their opponents on the fastbreak 13-6.
Next up for the Thunder is the St. Andrews Products Classic beginning on Friday, December 29. Trine hosts Berry College in the opening game of the event at 1 p.m.