ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine Women's basketball team routed Alma College 80-51 on Senior Day Saturday at Hershey Hall.
After being down 4-2 early, the Thunder never trailed the rest of the game. The Trine defense forced 33 Alma turnovers, which led to 37 points. Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) each had 23 points to lead the Thunder. The victory stretched Trine's winning streak to seven games and gave them the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament. The Thunder are now 18-7 (10-6 in the MIAA), while the Scots conclude the season 9-16 (4-12 in the MIAA).
Martin scored 11 of her 23 points in the third quarter, and then Dawson took over the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of her 23. Martin also added eight rebounds, senior Whitney Shaffer (Tipton, Ind./Tri-Central) had nine points (all from beyond the arc), and reserve Carlee Richardson (LaGrange, Ind./Lakeland) scored her first varsity point in the fourth. Trine shot a robust 63 percent (17-27) from the field in the second half.
Tara Padgett led Alma with 23 points, shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from three. Kassidy Blough added six points and six assists, and Kelsey Wolffis added six points and five rebounds. The Scots were 4-for-4 on threes in the second half after going 2-for-7 in the first half.
The Thunder went on multiple runs, including a 10-0 run over a four-minute period to begin the fourth quarter. Alma had cut the lead to six before Trine's run. The closest they got in the second half was a 42-39 deficit with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
Trine will face Calvin Friday, Feb. 26 in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament at Hope College.
Article contributed by Grant Tingley, Trine University, Communications '19
