ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University women's basketball team outscored Calvin (Mich.) University, 33-12, in the second half, which included a 31-0 scoring run, to beat the Knights by a final of 56-33 in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association game at the MTI Center in Angola, Ind.
Trine had one player score in double figures in sophomore Kelsy Taylor (Louisville, Ky./New Albany) with 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Senior Katy Steers (Portage, Ind./Portage) fell a point shy of a double-double with nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds. She also had a game-tying high three assists.
Sophomore Kayla Wildman (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) had eight points to round out the high scorers for the Thunder.
The Trine defense held Calvin to just 23.6 percent (13-of-55) shooting for the game and 12.5 percent (three-of-24) in the second half alone. The Thunder also forced 16 turnovers which led to 13 points offensively.
In the first quarter, Trine (15-4, 9-1 MIAA) led by 10 points, 12-2, aided by a streak of eight straight points, following a layup by sophomore Rachel Stewart (Pekin, Ind./Eastern) at the 2:43 mark. Stewart also scored the final point for Trine in the period that came on a free-throw, but Calvin (11-8, 5-5 MIAA) ended the frame by outscoring the home team, 6-1, to make it a five-point game after the first 10 minutes, 13-8.
Calvin continued its run to start the second quarter with a three-pointer and then a layup to even the score at 13-13 with a little over nine minutes to go in the half. Trine got a little breathing room back with six unanswered points to make it a 19-13 game, but the Knights kept the game close and got back to within two points multiple times and also trailed by just two points at the break, 23-21.
The second half started with a pair of Calvin free-throws which was followed by a three-pointer and resulted in Calvin's first lead of the game, 26-23, at the 7:45 mark. The made triple was the only made field goal for the Knights the rest of the quarter and were held scoreless for the remainder of the period. Trine then scored the next 18 points and ended the third period with a 15-point advantage, 41-26.
Trine continued its massive run in the fourth quarter that didn't see Calvin add to its point total until just over five-and-a-half minutes to go in the game. In the meantime, the Thunder had racked up a 28-point margin which also turned out to be the team's largest lead of the contest. Calvin outscored Trine, 7-3, in the final 5:34, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Thunder posted a 23-point victory, 56-33, and completed the two-game season series sweep.
Trine will travel to Olivet, Mich. on Saturday, Feb. 1 for a MIAA matchup against Olivet College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.