WESTERVILLE, OHIO -- The Trine University women's basketball team resumed the 2019-20 season with a 62-40 win against Denison (Ohio) University as part of the Otterbein (Ohio) University Tournament in Westerville, Ohio.
Three players scored in double figures for the Thunder with all three scoring 12 points. Sophomores Kelsy Taylor (Louisville, Ky./New Albany), Kayla Wildman (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) and Tara Bieniewicz (Chesterfield, Mich./Dakota) all finished the game with 12 points. In addition, Taylor added a team-high eight rebounds.
Senior Katy Steers (Portage, Ind./Portage) led all players in assists with five helpers.
Trine (7-3) fell behind by four points early in the first quarter, but an 8-0 scoring run over the next 4:33 swung momemtum in favor for the Thunder who took a four-point lead, 10-6, at the 2:49 mark. Trine maintained its lead the rest of the period which ended with a three-pointer by sophomore Rachel Stewart (Pekin, Ind./Eastern) and made it a five-point margin, 13-8, after one quarter of play.
After an opening jumper by Denison (7-4) to start the second quarter, Wildman connected on a three-pointer on Trine's next offensive possession to go up by six points, 16-10, the largest lead of the game for the Thunder to that point. The Big Red then got two of the points back on their next possession, but two more points by Wildman on a layup ignited a 10-0 run that lasted 5:31 and extended the lead to over double digits for the first time in the contest with a 14-point advantage, 26-12, with just over three minutes to go in the half. The Thunder equalled their large lead of 14 with just under a minute to go en route to having a 30-18 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
Trine's lead remained in double figures the rest of the game and topped the 20-point mark at the 1:09 mark of the third quarter following one-of-two free-throws by sophomore Sophia Kreag (Westfield, Ind./Westfield). The final points of the period came on a pair of Dension free-throws, but the Thunder would have a 47-29 lead heading into the fourth.
The final quarter began with nine straight points by Trine that included a pair of triples by Wildman and Bieniewicz along with a three-point play by Steers to make it a 27-point game, 56-29, with 8:53 to go. Trine's lead never dropped below 20 points the rest of the way as the Thunder went on to cruise to the final 22-point victory, 62-40.
Trine will conclude the two-day Otterbein Tournament tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 29) when the Thunder take on Hanover College in a non-conference matchup at 1 p.m. in Westerville, Ohio.