MINNEAPOLIS -- The Trine women's basketball team is ranked No. 25 in the nation in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll released this evening.
The national ranking is the first for the Thunder since the school joined NCAA Division III in 2004. Trine received 28 votes to crack the Top 25 after receiving four votes in last week's poll. The team owns an overall record of 12-1, the best start in program history. An 11-game winning streak, the third-longest in team history, has powered the hot start. Included among those wins was a 59-51 overtime victory over then-No. 25 Calvin last Wednesday.
Click Here to view the D3hoops.com Top 25 rankings.
Trine's play on the defensive end has been a key to the team's hot start. The Thunder allow 48.8 points per game, the 13th-lowest mark in the nation and the best in the MIAA. Trine boasts the sixth-best three-point field goal percentage defense in the country and have the 52nd-best defense by field goal percentage in Division III. The team's average margin of victory is 22.2 points per game, the 12th-best in the nation.
All-MIAA performers Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind. / DeKalb) and Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind. / Garrett) have packed most of the scoring punch this season. Martin leads the Thunder with an average of 15.6 points per game and is shooting 51.3 percent from the field. Dawson adds 14.6 points on 49.6 percent shooting. Trine ranks 22nd in the nation with 44.3 percent field goal shooting.
Big games by Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio / Archbold) and Montana Martin (Columbia City, Ind. / Churubusco) helped propel the Thunder to victories in the last week. Williams scored 16 points, nine of which came in overtime, in the victory over Calvin last Wednesday. Martin totaled a career-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting in Saturday's 79-48 win over Adrian.
Trine returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 11 at Kalamazoo. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. A 12th-straight Thunder victory would tie the second-longest winning streak in school history.
The team returns home Saturday, Jan. 14 to host Alma in the Free-for-All at Hershey Hall. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Free admission, giveaways and a chance to win $200 in a half-court shot are available to fans at Saturday's game. For more information, visit THIS PAGE.