GRANVILLE, OHIO -- The Trine University women's basketball team shot just 28.6 percent (14-of-49) from the field, but was able to convert 81.0 percent (17-of-21) of its free-throw attempts to come away with a 52-42 win against Kenyon College in a neutral site matchup on the campus of Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
Trine (2-0) was led in scoring by junior Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) who was the team's lone player in double figures with 12 points on two-of-five shooting (40.0 percent) with all five shots coming from three-point range. She was also able to make six-of-eight (75.0 percent) free-throw attempts.
Junior Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) was the team's top rebounder with six boards.
The Thunder jumped out a five point lead, 11-6, following a layup by Dawson with a little over four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Kenyon then went on a 6-2 scoring run to draw to within a point, 13-12, to end the scoring in the period.
Both teams started out slow in the second half with the first basket being scored at the 7:21 mark on a jumper by Trine's Jayde Abenth (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage). The Thunder grew its lead to seven points, 20-13, when the Ladies rallied again by outscoring Trine, 12-5, to pull even with the No. 9 nationally-ranked team at the break, 25-25.
Kenyon (1-1) began the third quater outscoring Trine, 8-3, to take a five-point edge, 33-28, at the 7:12 minute mark. With the Ladies still leading by five points, 35-30, with just over five-and-a-half minutes to go, the Thunder mounted a rally and ended the period by outscoring Kenyon, 14-3, to regain the lead, 44-38, heading into the final quarter.
The two team's offenses went cold in the fourth quarter as the two squads combined for just 12 points. Junior Shaely Duff (Greenfield, Ind./Mount Vernon) scored a bucket for Trine with 9:03 to go and increased the lead to eight points, 46-38. The next basket wasn't scored until the 2:04 mark with a pair of free-throws by Kenyon that made the score 46-40. The Thunder then scored the final points of the game all at the free-throw line as the team went a perfect six-of-six down the stretch. Junior Shelby Oldham (Greenfield, Ind./Greenfield Central) made four of the team's six attempts in the final minutes as Trine went on to win by the final of 52-40.
Trine returns to action tomorrow (Sunday, Nov. 19) when it takes on Denison University at 3 p.m. in Granville, Ohio.