ANGOLA, IND.-- Trine snapped a two-game skid with a 74-49 victory over Defiance in non-conference action Sunday afternoon in Hershey Hall.
The Thunder shot 46 percent (26-of-56) and got a balanced scoring effort as 13 players scored. Whitney Shaffer (Tipton, Ind./Tri-Central) scored 19 points on an efficient 6-of-8 effort from the floor to lead Trine. The junior knocked down 3-of-4 from long range, pacing a 50 percent Thunder effort (6-of-12) from beyond the arc. Kelsey Henselmeier (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) scored a season-high 16 points in 5-of-8 shooting. Kelsey Tietje led Defiance with 12 points and nine rebounds. Trine improved to 7-3 on the season, and has already surpassed last season's win-total. Defiance fell to 3-7.
Bailey Tuttle (Ashley, Ind./DeKalb) added seven points off the bench for Trine. Tuttle is averaging 6.7 points per game over the last three contests. Her effort helped the Thunder bench outscore their Yellow Jacket counterparts by a 29-8 margin.
Erica Smay notched 10 points and six rebounds for Defiance. The Yellow Jackets shot 39 percent from the field (20-of-52) and were 3-of-17 (18 percent) from long range.
After a slow start, a 12-0 run gave Trine the lead for good. Tuttle scored all seven of her points during that run, including a three that gave the Thunder a 14-6 lead with 11:33 to play in the half. A later 13-0 run over a span of 5:58 pushed the score to 33-15 late in the half. The Thunder would take a 33-17 lead into the break.
Shaffer and Henselmeier paced the offensive effort in the second half as the Thunder pulled away. Shaffer was perfect on four field goal attempts and scored 12 points after the break. Henselmeier added eight points in the half.
Trine returns to action this Tuesday, Dec. 30 when they travel to Fort Wayne to face Division-I foe IPFW. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.