ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Trine men's basketball team defeated Kenyon, 72-64 in the St. Andrews Products Classic Friday evening in Hershey Hall.
A 10-0 Thunder run early in the second half gave Trine the separation it needed and the team withstood several runs by the Lords later in the half to hold on for the victory. Four Thunder players scored in double-figures, led by senior Will Dixon's (Indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) 22 points on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting clip. Alexander Powell led Kenyon with 16 points, which included a 3-of-5 effort from three-point range. Trine improved to 2-0 with the victory, while the Lords fell to 0-2.
Jordan Kreglow (Gibsonburg, Ohio / Gibsonburg), Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) and Myles Copeland (Toledo, Ohio / St. John's) added 11 points apiece for the Thunder. Kreglow dished out a team-high four assists. Copeland has come off the bench to score in double-figures in each of his first two games as a member of Trine.
Ben Stern came off the bench to add 11 points and seven rebounds for Kenyon. Will Sigl chipped in nine points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks.
Trine took a 30-22 lead into the half after outscoring the Lords 20-7 over the final 7:52 of the half. Dixon scored 10 of his 12 first half points during that stretch. The Thunder locked down defensively to hold Kenyon without a made field goal for the final 7:07 of the half. Trine forced six turnovers to key the lockdown effort.
The Lords started the second half hot, using an 11-3 run to tie things up at the 17:39 mark. The Thunder responded by scoring 10-straight, with five coming from Copeland, including an old-fashioned three-point play to cap the run. Trine pushed its lead as high as 52-39 on a Dixon jumper with 11:25 to play.
Kenyon did not go quietly, as the Lords rallied to cut the deficit 57-56 with 4:18 to play. A short jumper by Dodson and back-to-back layups by Copeland helped push the lead back to 63-57 with 2:21 remaining. Kenyon cut the deficit back to a single possession on a Powell three with 55 seconds left, but Trine hit 7-of-8 free throws while holding the Lords to 1-of-4 shooting the rest of the way to secure the win.
Trine wraps up play in the St. Andrews Products Classic with a showdown against No. 8 Ohio Wesleyan tomorrow. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. in Hershey Hall.
OWU claimed a 91-77 victory over Albion in the opening game of the St. Andrews Products Classic. Albion and Kenyon will square off prior to the Thunder taking on the Battling Bishops tomorrow. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.