ALBION, Mich.-- The Trine women's basketball team dominated Albion to earn a victory in MIAA-action Wednesday night in Kresge Gymnasium.
A hot-shooting first half paced the Thunder to shooting 50.9 percent (27-of-53) on the night. Whitney Shaffer (Tipton, Ind./Tri-Central) came off the bench to score 17 points, racking that total up in just 16 minutes of playing time. Shaffer knocked down 7-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Oreyana Curry's 15 points paced the Britons. Trine improved to 15-7 overall and 8-6 in the MIAA. The Thunder held on to fourth place in the MIAA with the victory and gained the season sweep of Albion. The Britons fell to 9-13 overall, 5-8 in the MIAA.
Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting for Trine. Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) chipped in with nine points and is averaging just under 10 points per game over the last three games. The Thunder held Albion to just 29.6 percent shooting overall (16-of-54).
Trine was able to force the Britons into 15 turnovers, which the Thunder converted into 19 points. Trine also held a 30-18 edge in scoring in the paint.
A pair of 9-0 runs sandwiched around an Albion bucket combined for an 18-2 first quarter surge for the Thunder. Shaffer knocked down a pair of threes, while Martin also scored six points and Williams added five during the Trine run. The Thunder shot a scalding 73 percent (11-of-15) in the first quarter while holding Albion to a 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) effort.
Trine continued its hot shooting in the second quarter, hitting 6-of-12 to take a .630 shooting percentage into the half. The Thunder would lead by as many as 24 in the first half and would take a 41-17 lead into the break.
The Thunder went on to gain its largest lead of 32 midway through the third quarter. Shaffer added seven more points in the quarter as the Britons were never able to mount a threat the rest of the night.
Trine will take a break from conference play Saturday as the Thunder travel to face Illinois Tech at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. CDT).