ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University women's basketball team increased its current win streak to 11 games with a 67-59 win against Albion (Mich.) College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association matchup at the MTI Center.
Trine (22-2, 14-1 MIAA) began the game with six straight points on its way to leading by seven points, 9-2, early in the first quarter. Albion (16-7, 9-5 MIAA) then connected on back-to-back three-pointers to make it a one-point game and later took a three-point edge, 16-13, as part of a 5-0 mini scoring run with 1:34 left in the period. The final points of the quarter were scored by Trine senior forward Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) on a jumper that cut the deficit to, 16-15, heading into the second stanza.
Albion scored on a triple to begin the second quarter and posted its largest lead of the game of four points, 19-15. The Thunder came back to even the game and then the two teams swapped leads five times in the final five minutes of the first half. Both teams also traded three-pointers to end the scoring in the half with Trine's triple coming from junior Montana Martin (Columbia City, Ind./Churubusco) which gave the home team a one-point advantage at the break, 32-31.
Trine began to open a lead in the third quarter as the Thunder outscored Albion, 11-3, in the first 7:27 to jump out to a nine-point margin, 43-34, with 2:33 remaining in the period. The Britons scored five unanswered points to make it a four-point game, before Montana Martin connected on another tre to end the scoring and give Trine a seven-point lead after three quarters of play, 46-39.
Montana Martin gave Trine its first points of the final quarter with yet another triple that also resulted in the Thunder's largest lead of the contest of 10 points, 49-39, with 9:10 to go. Albion would not go away quietly and later narrowed the gap to just two points, 55-53, at the 3:57 mark. Trine never relinquished the lead down the stretch, however, and helped secure the victory at the free-throw line by converting six-of-eight attempts in the final minute as the Thunder went on to post the eight-point win, 67-59.
Montana Martin led the Trine scorers with a career-high 18 points on five-of-nine shooting (55.6 percent) with four of her five made shots coming from behind the arc (four-of-six overall). Two other players joined her in double figures including junior Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) with 14 points, followed by junior Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) with 10 points.
Albion was led in scoring by Evelyn Wischmeyer with a game-high 20 points.
Trine will play its final game of the regular season at home next Saturday, Feb. 17 against Kalamazoo (Mich.) College at the MTI Center. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3 p.m.