ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's basketball team remained atop the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings with a 68-41 win against the Albion College Britons on Wednesday night. The Thunder held their opponents to 28.6% (16-of-56) from the field and 6.7% (1-of-15) from beyond the arc.
#13 Trine pushes their overall record to 14-3 and have gone through the league once with an undefeated record of 8-0. Albion, meanwhile, sits at 11-5 on the season and 6-2 in league play.
The first quarter was all Thunder as they jumped ahead to a 16-4 advantage. Katie Sloneker had a basket on the first possession of the game to fuel the run. Sidney Wagner had eight points in the period and Alyssa Argyle knocked down a long range three-point field goal as the shot clock expired to highlight the first.
The Britons used a rebounding edge in the second quarter to remain afloat in the contest. Trine was outrebounded 10-3 in total as Albion made it a 33-22 game at halftime. Wagner continued her onslaught with seven more points to give her 15 at the break.
Just as in the first quarter, Sloneker and Wagner came out of the locker room and knocked down shots early in the period to set the tempo for the Thunder offense in the second half. Makayla Ardis buried a three-point try to extend the home team's lead to 16 at 40-24. After a few scores on the other end, another three by Argyle put a halt to all Briton momentum. Katie Tate hit a free throw just before the end of the third to claim a 50-32 lead.
Back-to-back makes from beyond the arc by Ardis pushed the lead all the way to 25 at 58-33 with six minutes remaining in the game. A timeout by Albion would not put an end to the scoring run from the senior guard, as Ardis went for the next six points for Trine. She had 14 for the quarter. Sophie Sloneker, Jada Rhonehouse and Macayla McGowan had free throws late in the game to ice the 68-41 winner.
Wagner and Ardis did a bulk of the scoring with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Wagner and Abby Sanner tied for the team lead with six rebounds each and Wagner distributed a team-high four assists. The Thunder shot 24-for-51 (47.1%) as a team, led by Wagner at 9-for-14.
After an off-day Saturday, Trine hosts a rematch with Hope College after defeating them on their home floor earlier this season. That game takes place on Wednesday, January 25 beginning at 7:30 p.m.