OLIVET, MICH. -- For the second time in as many games, the Trine University women's basketball team saw a teammate join the 1,000-point club. This time, senior Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) was the latest addition with her nine points in a 67-53 win against Olivet (Mich.) College to become the 14th player in Thunder history to score 1,000 or more points in her career.
Hayley Martin came into the matchup against the Comets with 998 career points and improved that total to 1,007 points with four more games remaining in the regular season. In Trine's last game, teammate Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) reached the 1,000-point plateau as Hayley Martin fell just two points shy of having both players score their 1,000th point in the same game.
In addition to Hayley Martin's milestone, Dawson finished the game with a double-double, scoring 10 points and adding 10 rebounds. Junior Montana Martin (Columbia City, Ind./Churubusco) led all players in scoring with a game-high 15 points. Junior Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) was second with 12 points and sophomore Katy Steers (Portage, Ind./Portage) rounded out the high scorers with 11 points.
Trine (19-2, 11-1 MIAA) trailed Olivet (6-15, 2-10 MIAA) after the first quarter dispite leading by three points, 13-10, at the 4:14 mark following a layup by senior Ashley Elliott (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg). The Comets then scored seven straight points as part of a larger, 9-2, scoring run to end the period and led, 19-15, after the first 10 minutes of action.
Olivet scored the first points of the second quarter to extend out to a seven-point margin, 22-15, early on. The Thunder offense then began to find their stride as Trine outscored Olivet, 13-5, over the next 6:36 to regain its first lead since the 3:41 mark of the first quarter with a score of 28-27. The home team then scored on back-to-back baskets to lead by three points, before Montana Martin connected on one of her four three-pointers in the game to end the scoring in the half and deadlock the two teams at 31-31 at the intermission.
The third quarter began with Trine scoring eight consecutive points and a 13-3 overall run that ended in a layup by Hayley Martin and gave the Thunder a 10-point advantage, 44-34, with just over five minutes to go in the period. Olivet gained a little momentum heading into the fourth quarter and cut into the deficit to trail by single figures, 47-42, setting up a potentially competitive final 10 minutes.
Olivet continued its rally into the fourth and got to within a point, 47-46, just a little over a 1:15 into the stanza. A pair of free-throws by Steers then sparked a 10-0 run that shut the door on the Comet run and put the Thunder out in front by 11 points, 57-46, with 5:57 to go in regulation. Following a bucket by Olivet, Trine continued to pull away with another run, this time an 8-0 fleury that included back-to-back triples by Steers and Montana Martin, to make the score 65-48 with a little over three minutes to go.
The Trine lead was never threatened the rest of the way as the final points of the game came on a Williams layup with 1:25 left and the Thunder went on to win by the final of 67-53 and maintain a half game lead in the MIAA standings.
Trine will next take on Adrian (Mich.) College at home on Saturday, Feb. 3. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at the MTI Center.