ANGOLA, IND. -- Trine University senior forward Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Thunder to a 72-56 win against Calvin (Mich.) College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association game at the MTI Center in Angola, Ind.
Dawson scored 14 of her 24 points in the first half and ended the game going 10-of-17 from the field (58.8 percent) and also grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Fellow senior Cassidy Williams (Archbold, Ohio/Archbold) joined Dawson in double figures in scoring with 13 points and tallied five of the team's 10 assists.
Trine (17-2, 10-0 MIAA) opened up to a seven-point lead in the first quarter that included a score of 14-7 with just over three minutes to go when Calvin (9-10, 4-6 MIAA) went on an ensuing 7-0 scoring run to even the game at 14-14 with 1:20 to go in the period. A layup by Thunder freshman Kelsy Taylor (Louisville, Ky./New Albany) put Trine back out in front, but the Knights tallied the final points of the frame for a 16-16 tie after the first 10 minutes of action.
The second quarter saw Trine gain some breathing room and scored the first seven points of the period that ended in a jumper by Dawson to make it a 23-16 ball game wih 6:24 left in the half. Calvin again rallied and pulled to within two points following the Dawson bucket with five straight points of its own, but could take the lead as the Thunder regained their seven-point edge at the intermission by a score of 35-28.
Coming out of the locker rooms, the third quarter started just like the second for Trine as back-to-back triples by senior Montana Martin (Columbia City, Ind./Churubusco) and Williams, followed by one-of-two free-throws by Williams to complete a string of seven straight points, put Trine out ahead by a commanding 14 points, 42-28, at the 7:59 mark. The Thunder went on to lead by as many 16 points multiple times the rest of the way and had a 14-point margin heading into the fourth quarter, 53-39.
Calvin rattled off six consecutive points to start the final quarter and pulled to within eight points, 53-45, with 7:11 left in regulation. The Trine offense then tallied seven unanswered points that began with a three-pointer by junior Katy Steers (Portage, Ind./Portage) to end the threat of a possible comeback by the Knights as the Thunder led by a more comfortable 15 points, 60-45, with 5:21 to go. The Trine lead never dropped to under 10 points the remainder of the game and the Thunder recorded their largest lead of the game of 17 points with just under a minute left when Williams connected on one-of-two free-throws that made the score, 72-55. Calvin scored the final point of the game with a freebie with 45 seconds on the clock, but the win went to the Thunder who claimed the 72-56 victory.
Trine will host Hope (Mich.) College on Saturday, Jan. 26 in a MIAA game at the MTI Center. The game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.