GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In the opening game of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) season, the Trine University women's basketball team defeated Calvin University 67-50. The Thunder had 17 assists on 25 made field goals and forced 21 turnovers defensively to secure the win.
#20 Trine is now 4-1 overall in the 2023-24 season and begins conference play with a 1-0 record. Calvin falls to an even 3-3 and 0-1 in league action.
Sidney Wagner led Trine in scoring with 17 points while also pulling down six rebounds, dishing out four assists and recording four steals. Sierra Hinds was also in double figures with 13 points, including three made field goals from behind the arc, and Erin Sherwood with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Abby Sanner tallied nine points and had eight rebounds to lead the squad.
The first quarter was key in the victory as the Thunder were able to win the period 22-11. Sherwood came off the bench and had a pair of makes with assists by Hinds that started a run of four straight offensive possessions with a make. Jada Rhonehouse made a layup and Hinds ended the run with a made three to go up 13-5 and force the Knights to call a timeout.
Chelsi Giesige and Sherwood ballooned the lead to double digits at 18-7 with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter and Allie Walther helped get the team to the 22-11 final total through 10 minutes of play. Trine was able to shoot 10-of-18 (55.6%) in the period.
Wagner and Sanner widened the gap further with scores early in the second to make it 30-15 at the halfway point in the second. The teams would trade runs of five consecutive points before Calvin was able to net six of the final seven points in the period to head into the locker room with a score of 36-26 Thunder.
A 10-0 scoring run by Trine coming out of halftime propelled the visitors to a 46-26 advantage. Katie Tate netted a field goal to start the third before Hinds buried back-to-back three-point shots and Wagner converted a layup. After nearly five minutes of scoreless basketball, the Knights finally broke the drought. From there, Calvin would go on a 16-2 run of their own to cut the Thunder lead to just 48-42. The final six points of the third belonged to Trine to make it 54-42 going into the final period.
An and-one by Sanner continued the run to begin a low-scoring fourth quarter. Calvin was restricted to just eight points in the period as the Thunder cruised to a 67-50 win. The Trine defense held the Knights to 3-of-15 from the field in the fourth and Calvin missed on all three of their attempts from beyond the arc.
Points scored off of turnovers (29-19), in the paint (38-18) and on the fastbreak (14-2) were heavily in favor of the Thunder in the contest.
MIAA play continues on Saturday, December 2 with a home game versus Albion College. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.