ADRIAN, Mich.-- Adrian pulled away from the Trine women's basketball team in the fourth quarter to earn a 66-59 victory Wednesday night in Merillat Gymnasium.
A 14-2 run midway through the fourth quarter opened up a 10-point Bulldog lead that proved too much for the Thunder to overcome. Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind,/DeKalb) scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked three shots to lead Trine. Martin's 32 blocks this season are fifth-most in a season in team history. Marissa Cotton scored 22 points, dished out four assists and came away with three steals to lead Adrian. Trine fell to 11-7 overall, 4-6 in the MIAA. The Bulldogs improved to 9-9 overall, 6-4 in conference play.
Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) scored six points and dished out a career-high six assists for the Thunder. Ashley Elliott (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) added eight points. Trine held a 14-7 edge in second-chance points.
Amber McCullough notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Adrian. Antoinea McElroy also reached double figures with 12 points. The Bulldogs shot 44 percent (24-of-54) from the field.
The two teams played to a 13-13 draw and remained in a tight battle into the closing minutes of the second quarter. The Bulldogs used a 10-1 run over the final 3:29 to open up a 35-24 halftime advantage. Martin paced Trine with 10 points in the first half.
Cotton and McElroy led Adrian in the first half, each with 10 points. The Bulldogs held the Thunder to a 28 percent shooting effort (8-of-29) over the opening two quarters.
The Thunder hit right back with a big third quarter of its own, outscoring Adrian 17-6 to open the second half. Martin provided eight points in the quarter. Trine's defense held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 5:43 of the quarter to close on an 8-0 run to tie things up. Martin and Williams combined for all eight points during that span.
The run continued into the fourth as Martin scored the first four points of the fourth quarter. Adrian fought back with the deciding run however, scoring 14 of the next 16 points to open up a 57-47 lead with 4:19 to play. The Thunder were able to fight back within three when a Martin layup cut the score to 60-57 with 1:48 left, but that was as close as it would get the rest of the way.
Trine returns to action this Saturday, Jan. 30 when the Thunder travel to Kalamazoo looking for the season sweep of the Hornets. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.