ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's basketball team came up short in an overtime affair for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament Championship on Saturday night, 72-68. The Thunder struggled shooting the basketball as Hope College defeated both nationally-ranked Calvin University and Trine en route to their third consecutive MIAA Tournament title.
Trine falls to 23-4 on the season and looks to gain entry into the NCAA Tournament via an at-large bid as a Pool C recipient. The Flying Dutch have claimed the league's automatic bid to the big dance at 22-6.
The Thunder shot just 36.2% (25-for-69) from the field and 8.3% (2-for-24) from three. Hope on the other hand were 45.0% (27-for-60) and 28.6% (2-for-7) from deep. Trine outscored their opponents 31-17 off of turnovers and 19-2 on the fast break, but a 48-36 edge inside the painted area allowed the Flying Dutch to secure the win. Nate Tucker led a foursome of Thunder student-athletes in double figures with 14 points.
Trine took a 10-6 lead early thanks to eight points by Fred Garland in the first four minutes. After Hope fought back to tie the game, the Thunder got out on the fastbreak to a double-digit lead at 26-16 thanks to an Aidan Smylie layup with seven minutes and change to play in the first half. A monster 15-2 run in favor of the visitors put Hope in front for the first time at 29-28 with five minutes left in the first.
When the dust settled at halftime, the score was right where the teams started, deadlocked. After 20 minutes of play, it was 39-39. Drew Moore sank a pair of free throws and converted a layup just before the buzzer sounded to go into the break.
Hope began to pull away at the start of the second half at 49-42 at the first media timeout. The run for the Flying Dutch continued as they led by as many as 13 a 57-44 with 13:29 to go. This time it was a 14-2 scoring spree by the Thunder that made it a one-possession contest at 59-58 with just under six minutes on the clock. After a scoreless first half, Cortez Garland got going in the second and tied the game up with a layup with 4:03 left. Grant Pahl buried a three-point try on the following possession to give Trine the lead.
After a made free throw by Hope, the final two minutes of regulation were without a point. Both teams were able to get the stops they needed and a miss by Pahl on the final shot closed the frame and the clock operator added five more minutes with the score even at 64.
Tucker hit a midrange jumper, but the team was already down four in the overtime period after consecutive makes by the Flying Dutch. Cortez Garland made it a two-point game and the Thunder turned to their defense. A foul led to two free throws for Hope as they were able to come away with the victory, 72-68.
Trine fans can look to the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, February 26 at 1 p.m. to see if the Thunder can nab an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.