ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's basketball team worked to right the ship on Monday afternoon and defeated the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 65-56 to put an end to a three-game losing skid.

The Thunder (5-4) recorded assists on 16 of 22 made field goals and led for a majority of the contest over the Pointers (3-6). 16 assists are the second-most in a game this season for Trine.

"It feels really good to be back in the win column," Head Coach Brooks Miller mentioned afterwards. "It's been a tough two weeks but we've been working really hard. A great win for us to beat a team with a Hall of Fame coach."

Stevens Point took the lead by scoring the first basket of the game, but Aiden Warzecha [Milford, Mich. / Milford] assisted on a pair of lay-ups in transition following steals to Hayden Jones [Kendallville, Ind. / East Noble] and Nick Bowman [Angola, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern] to take the advantage. Warzecha scored himself off a steal by Mitchell Geller [Huntington, Ind. / Huntington North] to take a 10-5 lead and force a Pointer timeout nearly seven minutes in.

Three-point plays came fast and furious for Stevens Point after the break, but Hayden Jones and Bryce Williams [Archbold, Ohio / Archbold] matched the energy with long balls of their own to remain in front.

Up 20-14 halfway through the first, both teams went into a scoring slump. After nearly four minutes of scoreless basketball, a 12-2 run emerged by the Thunder. Grant Pahl [Sylvania, Ohio / Southview], Emmanuel Megnanglo [Cotonou, Benin / Amelia Academy] and Brent Cox [Kendallville, Ind. / East Noble] all entered the scoring column in the spurt that gave Trine a 32-16 lead.

The Pointers wrapped up the half with a made three to put the halftime score at 32-19. The Thunder held Stevens Point to just 23.1% (6-for-26) from the field in the first.

The Trine defense made the Pointers work early in the second half and the fatigue factor could be seen even in the early goings of the second period. Stevens Point was forced to foul after being caught out of position to allow the Thunder to get some freebies at the charity stripe. Despite coming up short on offensive rebounds 15-5, it was a hustle play from Megnanglo that opened Williams up for his second three-point field goal of the game to make it a double-digit ballgame once again, 43-31.

At the 10-minute mark, Stevens Point had worked it down to four at 45-41, but key defensive plays from Megnanglo and Connor Jones [Danville, Ind. / Danville] kept Trine in front. "You have to credit some misses down the stretch because (Megnanglo) was either in the paint, or he wasn't in there and they were looking for him. Three steals and three blocks – his mindset and unselfishness are uncanny," Coach Miller continued.

On the offensive side of the ball, Trine began getting the ball inside to Megnanglo and Brent Cox with six consecutive points in the paint to take a 54-43 lead with six minutes left. The need for the Pointers defense to protect near the rim opened up Williams for a pair of three's that halted the visitor's momentum.

Nonetheless, Stevens Point had an opportunity to make it a one-possession game with one minute to go, but a missed opportunity on the fast break gave the Thunder some breathing room. Trine dug in defensively in the final 60 seconds and kept the Pointers off the board to claim a 65-56 win.

Williams finished with a stat line of 16 points, a team-high on 5-of-10 shooting and 4-of-8 from downtown. "All my teammates and coaches are always supporting me, that makes it a lot easier," Williams said postgame. "My teammates give me good passes. Most, if not all, of my three's came off the pass, so I have to credit my teammates."

Bowman and Hayden Jones each finished with double figures scoring at 13 and 12 points, respectively. Ball control statistics were crucial, with Bowman leading in rebounds with eight, Warzecha tied his career-high with eight assists, and Megnanglo recorded three steals and blocks.

The Thunder forced 18 turnovers and scored 18 points off them, while Stevens Point had eight points on 12 turnovers. Trine held a 32-20 advantage on points in the paint.

Up next for men's basketball after Christmas break is a home contest versus Concordia University-Chicago on Thursday, December 30 at 6 pm.