ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's basketball team used heroics, a career individual performance, and gallons of heart and hustle to pick up their first victory in their first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) game of the season against the Hope College Flying Dutch. The Thunder used three-point field goals in the final seconds of regulation and overtime to win 89-84 after two overtime periods.
Senior guard Connor Jones put on a show unlike the MTI Center has ever seen. He scored a career-high 44 points on 15-of-28 shooting, 3-of-7 from three and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. 44 points ties the school record for points in an NCAA game. Ian Jackson had the other game of 44 points on February 9, 2013 at Olivet College.
The 25th-ranked Trine Thunder are now 11-1 on the year and 1-0 in conference play. The Flying Dutch fall to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in MIAA games.
"I don't think I've ever been a part of a game as a player of coach with the guts and leadership he [Jones] showed vocally," Head Coach Brooks Miller beamed postgame. "He's a remarkable young man and I think he's got remarkable young men around him. That was a really special game that we were a part of!"
Hope took the lead early in the first half and had it for 16 of the 20 minutes in the opening period of play. The Flying Dutch were 17-of-19 from the charity stripe in the first to take a 38-36 lead into halftime. The Thunder dominated the paint with a first half advantage of 16-4 inside to keep themselves in it. Neither team had more than a six-point lead throughout the first half of play.
After Hope scored the first four points of the second half, Trine answered with seven in a row themselves to reclaim the lead at 43-42. Jones capped the run with an and-one with 15:53 to play. The Flying Dutch strung together a few scores to force a timeout by the home team, but out of the break, Brent Cox nailed a three and made a jumper to get back to within one possession near the halfway point.
The Thunder fell behind by as many as seven at 61-54 with less than seven minutes to go, but the duo of Cox and Jones once again kept the team alive with their scoring. Hope was up by six at 66-60 with a made free throw at 1:34 before Nate Carbaugh drew a foul on a three-point try. The senior was true on all three attempts to make it a one possession affair.
Aidan Smylie crashed the glass on the stop of the defensive end and grabbed an offensive rebound on the other end of the floor as both teams failed to convert on offense. Coming out of a Flying Dutch timeout, the team made one-of-two free throws to go up four at 67-63. Jones drove the length of the floor and got all the way to the rim for two with 16 seconds remaining in the second.
Once again playing the foul game, Hope was only able to make one-of-two free throw tries, putting Trine in a position to tie the game. A missed three with eight seconds left for the Thunder went out of bounds, but the home team kept the possession. On the out of bounds play, Jones connected with Grant Pahl for a game-tying corner three at 68-68.
For the first time this season, Trine went to overtime. Due to foul trouble, the Thunder had to turn to players off the bench in key moments. Emmanuel Megnanglo fouled out in regulation and Carbaugh was called upon late as well as Cameron Awls, Ryan Preston and Nate Tucker as time went on. Attempts at the free throw line in the first overtime had Hope on top 74-70 with less than one minute left.
A stop by Trine with 19 seconds to go gave them the basketball and a foul on Jones with 11 seconds remaining made the score 74-72. Just like at the end of regulation, the Thunder were forced to foul and the Flying Dutch converted one-of-two, giving Trine life. Coach Miller turned to the man with the hot hand as Jones pulled up from well beyond the three-point line and connected with this third three of the night and sent the team to a second overtime at 36 points.
"We knew we had a lot of time left and needed to get up a three," Jones described. "I was going to pass it to the corner but I saw the defender go out and I thought I had to pull it. Thomas stepped back on me a little bit, so I let it fly! It's a great team win!"
Jones knocked down a pair of shots at the start of the second extra period and Preston had a clutch bucket as well to go up 81-77 at the halfway point. Jones, Awls and Smylie knocked down free throws with under one minute to play that gave the Thunder their largest lead of the night at 87-79. Carbaugh and Pahl chipped in with one free throw apiece in the closing seconds to secure the 89-84 victory.
The Trine defense held Hope to 22-of-58 (37.9%) from the field and 6-of-24 (25.0%) from three in the game and won the turnover battle 21-12. Along with the 44 points by Jones, Cox contributed with 16 and Pahl with 12 as student-athletes to enter double-figures. Smylie led the team in rebounds with eight.
Up next for Trine is a road matchup with the Albion Britons on Saturday, January 7. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
