ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's basketball team has been ranked seventh in the week ten D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. The Thunder were previously ranked second, but fell five spots after going 1-1 last week.
John Carroll University remained atop the poll with a 22-1 record and 16 first-place votes, but the field has tightened around the first-place spot. Hampden-Sydney College is second with six first-place votes and the difference between the two teams is just eight points (609-601). Randolph-Macon College in third (2) and Trinity University of Texas in sixth (1) also received first-place votes.
The team recorded a blowout victory over the Albion College Britons at home on Wednesday 91-49. Trine had five in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from senior Brent Cox. Junior Aidan Smylie tied the program record with seven steals and the Thunder had 22 in total, tied for the third-most as a team in a single game. Smylie also dished out six assists in the victory.
In the 87-75 loss at The University of Olivet, Trine received a double-digit scoring effort from all five starters, but 59.6% (31-for-52) from the field by the Comets allowed them to pull off the upset. Olivet got 45 points from their bench to help secure the victory. Senior Emmanuel Megnanglo and junior Fred Garland tied for the team lead with 14 points each, and it was Megnanglo who brought down seven rebounds to pace the Thunder.
This week, Trine will celebrate and honor the team's seniors prior to their matchup with Kalamazoo College on Wednesday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. They will host #10 Calvin University in the regular season finale on Saturday, February 17 at 3 p.m. A win in either game will clinch a share of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championship and both secures an outright title win.