ANGOLA, Ind. – The 7th-ranked Trine University men's basketball team started slow, but was able to pull away from Adrian College, 77-57. The Thunder are now 15-1 on the year and undefeated at 5-0 inside the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) while the Bulldogs of Adrian fall to 3-13 and 1-4.
Trine had a season-high 19 steals, which ties them for the fourth-most in the program's statistical history. Aidan Smylie was credited with six himself to tie for fourth-most as an individual in in a game for the Thunder. The team had 15 offensive rebounds and secured 15 more rebounds than their opponents, 42-27. That led to a 19-3 difference in second chance points in favor of the home team.
It was a slow start for Trine with a single basket from Cortez Garland as the team's only points over the course of the first seven minutes of court time. After a 1-for-12 start from the field, Jayce Cusack had an and-one that sparked a trifecta of three-point plays to draw even at 11. Drew Moore and Cortez Garland buried threes to cap the run.
Coming out of a timeout by the Thunder, Emmanuel Megnanglo rocked the rim with a dunk while Nate Tucker and Brent Cox reached the scoring column as well. Trailing by one at 21-20, the final five minutes of the first half were all Trine. 12 consecutive points were scored by the home team, highlighted by dunks from Megnanglo and Fred Garland in transition. It was a 10-point lead at the half, 36-26.
After an even start to the second half, Fred Garland knocked down a three to start a huge 17-0 run that put the game out of reach. Tucker scored or assisted on seven of those points and Moore did the same on five. That run ballooned the lead to 56-30.
Grant Pahl began scoring some of his team-high 14 points in the second half and gave the Thunder their largest lead of the night at 31 points, ahead 64-33 with 8:54 remaining. He made He scored on three straight trips down the floor and his basket with 3:30 to play halted momentum by the Bulldogs. Evan Lumbrezer blocked a shot then turned it into two points on the other end to help put a close to the 77-57 win.
Behind Pahl's 14 points were Moore with 12 points and 11 from Cortez Garland. Smylie and Megnanglo each brought down seven rebounds to pace the squad.
A big road test awaits Trine on Saturday, January 20 when the team makes the trip to Hope College to face the Flying Dutch. Hope is receiving votes in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.