ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University women's basketball team outscored Olivet (Mich.) College, 41-20, in the second half to pull away and post a 68-43 victory against the Comets in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action at the MTI Center.
Junior Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) posted her second straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead Trine. Sophomore Katy Steers (Portage, Ind./Portage) led the team in scoring with 11 points and senior Ashley Elliott (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) rounded out the high scorers with 10 points.
Olivet (5-9, 1-5 MIAA) scored the first points of the game, but five straight points by Trine (12-2, 4-1 MIAA), all scored by Steers, put the Thunder ahead by three points, 5-2, and led the rest of the opening quarter. Trine later led by five points, 11-6, with 3:16 to go in the period, but the remaining four points were all scored by the Comets to narrow the gap to 11-10 going into the second quarter.
The two teams battled to a 19-19 tie in the second frame when a jumper by Elliott sparked an 8-0 scoring run for Trine and made the score, 27-19, with just over a minute-and-a-half remaining before the break. Olivet would again gain a little momentum at the end of the quarter with back-to-back buckets to make it a 27-23 contest at halftime.
The second half belonged to the Thunder as the third quarter began with a 14-4 Trine run to begin to pull away and take a 14-point margin, 41-27, at the 3:24 mark. Trine went on to lead by as many as 17 points, 48-31, following a three-pointer by junior Montana Martin (Columbia City, Ind./Churubusco) en route to a 48-36 advantage going into the final quarter.
Trine continued to increase its lead in the fourth as the Thunder held Olivet to just seven points in the final 10 minutes. The Thunder posted their first 20-point lead, 56-36, with 7:48 to play on a pair of free-throws by senior Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb). The Thunder tallied their largest lead of the game of 26 points, 66-40, at the 3:06 mark and cruised to the 68-43 final.
Trine will travel to Adrian, Mich. for a MIAA matchup against Adrian College on Wednesday, Jan. 10 with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.