ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's basketball team battled Olivet College on Saturday afternoon in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play and came away with a 78-20 victory.
The Thunder (8-1, 3-0 MIAA) put together their best defensive game of the year by holding the Comets (2-8, 0-3 MIAA) to just five points in each quarter. It is the lowest total Trine has held an opponent to since February 13, 2016 when the Thunder defeated Illinois Tech, 64-16.
Kelsy Taylor [Louisville, Ky. / New Albany] gave the Thunder the lead on the first possession of the game with an offensive rebound and putback and the number three team in NCAA DIII would not look back from there. Taylor and Kayla Wildman [Rockford, Mich. / Rockford] each had four points in the midst of a 10-0 run to start the game.
The first Olivet points came with 3:39 left in the first quarter and Makayla Ardis [Lake City, Mich. / Lake City] wrapped up the period at 12-5 with a lay-up.
Katie Sloneker [Monroe, Ohio / Monroe] hit three-point field goals on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead, and Tara Bieniewicz [Chesterfield, Mich. / Dakota] collected three points on a shot from beyond the arc in a 9-0 scoring spurt. Wildman hit a three on the next possession for four in the quarter.
After four scoreless minutes for Trine, Sam Underhill [Grand Rapids, Mich. / Northview] made a jump shot to send the teams into their locker rooms with the score 26-10.
A high-scoring third quarter started with field goals on the first six Trine offensive possessions, including a couple of three's by Bieniewicz and three lay-ups from Taylor. Another string of scores came at the end of the third with baskets on the final six possessions to go up 60-15.
Defense turned into offense was key to the 34-point quarter for the Thunder. Trine forced eight Comet turnovers in the 10-minute window and forwards Taylor and Underhill led the way with eight and seven points each. Alyssa Argyle [Freeland, Mich. / Freeland] had five points, four assists and two rebounds in the third alone.
The onslaught did not stop in the third as the Thunder went on a 16-2 run to begin the fourth quarter. Sidney Wagner [Warsaw, Ind. / Tippecanoe Valley], Natalee Kunse [Clare, Mich. / Clare], Chelsi Giesige [Paulding, Ohio / Paulding], and Macayla McGowan [New Castle, Ind. / New Castle] all scored in the 78-20 win.
Trine won the turnover battle 22-5 in the game and held Olivet scoreless from three-point range (0-for-15). The Thunder defense forcing the Comets to shoot 19.5% (8-for-41) is the lowest in a game in 2021-22. Taylor was the scoring leader with 12 points, with Underhill collecting 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Up next for Trine is a home game against the number one team in NCAA DIII, Hope College, on Saturday, December 18. That matchup will tip-off at 3 pm at MTI Center.