FRANKLIN, IND.-- Trine pulled away from Muskingum in the second half to earn a convincing 66-44 victory Sunday afternoon at the Franklin College Tip-Off Classic.
After taking a two-point lead into the half, the Thunder outscored the Fighting Muskies 43-23 over the final 20 minutes to earn their first win of the season. A balanced scoring effort helped pace the victory, as 13 of Trine's 16 players to see action scored. Leading the way was Nikky Moan (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove), who scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. She knocked down both of her three-point attempts. The TU bench outscored their Muskingum counterparts 29-8. The win was the first of head coach Ryan Gould's tenure at the helm of the Thunder program. Trine improves to 1-1. Muskingum falls to 0-2.
Six other players scored five or more points for Trine. Kayla Dunn (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) scored nine points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. The Thunder assisted on 15 of 24 made field goals, and shot 37 percent from the field (24-of-65). Trine held a 47-40 edge on the glass.
Oliva Besancon scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting to lead Muskingum. All of those points came in the first half. Jasmine Goings added eight points and five rebounds. The Fighting Muskies shot 30 percent from the field (17-of-57).
Trine led by as much as nine in the first half, but the Fighting Muskies were able to close the score late. The Thunder took a 23-21 lead into the break.
The second half stayed tight through the opening minutes before a 15-0 run broke the game open in Trine's favor. The Thunder held Muskingum without a field goal for a span of 6:37 as they broke a 32-30 lead into a comfortable 47-30 cushion. Dunn started the run with a three and a pair of free throw makes. Five other players scored during that stretch.
The Thunder shot 43 percent in the second half (15-of-35) and connected on 5-of-11 attempts from three land (46 percent). Moan and Dunn each scored nine points in the second half. Whitney Shaffer (Tipton, Ind./Tri-Central) added six of her eight points in the final 20 minutes.
Trine continues a four-game road trip to start the season next Saturday, Nov. 22 when they travel to Oberlin. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.