ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's basketball team defeated Adrian College on senior day Saturday by a score of 70-37 to finish the regular season with a 20-5 overall record and 14-2 in league play. The win secured a share of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Regular Season Championship with Hope College. It is the second consecutive season that the two have split the conference crown.
The Thunder will enter the MIAA Tournament as the number two seed and travel to Holland, Michigan next weekend for their MIAA Semifinal round matchup with a to be determined opponent on Friday, February 24.
The senior class of Alyssa Argyle, Makayla Ardis, Katie Sloneker, Sophie Sloneker and Sam Underhill were honored pre-game and all found themselves in the starting lineup. It was special for Underhill, who got to step on the home floor one last time after suffering a season-ending injury earlier this season.
After a turnover on the opening possession to give Underhill a standing ovation, Trine scored on the next five trips down the floor to get ahead 12-7. Sidney Wagner came off the bench and netted five of those points and five more came from Argyle. Abby Sanner, Katie Tate and Sierra Hinds entered the game and all got in the scoring column in a 21-8 first quarter for the home squad.
The second quarter would not go as well for the Thunder, as the Bulldogs won the period by two points. Trine was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc and had an uncharacteristic five turnovers. The gap they put up in the opening ten minutes allowed them to remain ahead 31-20 at the break.
A 9-1 scoring run for the Thunder to open the third quarter pushed the lead to 40-22. Katie Sloneker got on the board early in the period and Argyle capped the run with a driving layup. A hustle play by Argyle allowed Hinds to get out on the breakaway and score to put the team up 20 at 45-25 with under 3:30 to play. A three-point make from Ardis helped put Trine up 48-27 through three.
Once again, the fourth quarter started with a bang offensively for Trine with a 10-2 run this time. A steal by Sophie Sloneker led to a three on the other end by Ardis to further extend the lead. A majority of the senior class was removed from the game with the result well in hand at 4:24 remaining to rousing applause. The closing minutes saw Hinds and Erin Sherwood get on the board for the team in the 70-37 victory.
As a team, Trine shot 49.1% (28-of-57) from the field and held Adrian to 25.5% (12-of-47) on the other end of the floor. The Thunder won the turnover battle 22-11 and dominated points in the paint 36-14. Ardis was the team leader in points with 22 and rebounds with 11 to match her career-high. Wagner had 17 points and a team-high four assists.
Up next for Trine women's basketball is the MIAA Tournament. Stay tuned to www.trinethunder.com for updates and information regarding next weekend's event.