ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University women's basketball team defeated Adrian (Mich.) College, 61-44, in a non-conference matchup at the MTI Center in Angola, Ind.
The Thunder had three players score in double figures, led by junior Tara Bieniewicz (Chesterfield, Mich./Dakota) with 12 points that included six points coming at the free-throw line (six-of-six). Junior Kaylee Argyle (Freeland, Mich./Freeland) was second with 11 points and went a perfect seven-of-seven at the charity stripe. In addition, she tallied a game-high six steals.
Senior Shay Herbert (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) rounded out the high scorers with 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.
As a team, Trine shot 31.7 percent from the floor (19-of-60) and went to the free-throw line 28 times where the Thunder converted 67.9 percent (19-of-28) of those attempts.
A Bieniewicz three-pointer, followed by a jumper by junior Kelsy Taylor (Louisivlle, Ky./New Albany) started the scoring in the first quarter and resulted in an early 5-0 lead for Trine (5-0). The Thunder never ended up trailing in the game, despite Adrian (3-6) tying the game at 10-10 late in the first period with under a minute to go. The final points came off the finger tips of sophomore Katie Sloneker (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe) who netted a three-pointer with 27 seconds left to put Trine ahead on the scoreboard after the opening quarter, 13-10.
Trine put some distance between itself and its opponent by outscoring the Bulldogs, 24-7, in quarter number two. The triple by Katie Sloneker that ended the first quarter, was the start of a 15-1 scoring run that gave Trine a 14-point advantage at the 6:39 mark after a pair of free-throws by Bieniewicz. Leading by 12 points later in the quarter, a layup by Herbert sparked an 8-0 run in the final three minutes of the half and resulted in the Thunder's first 20-point margin with a halftime score of 37-17.
Adrian got a bit of a spark in the third quarter by outscoring Trine, 16-8, for the period. The lead hovered around the 20-point mark for the first few minutes of the third, when a 9-0 run by the Bulldogs pulled Adrian to within 11 points, 41-30, with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining. Adrian later made it a 10-point game thanks to a three-point play at the 1:20 mark, but a layup by sophomore Alyssa Argyle (Freeland, Mich./Freeland) put Trine up by 12 points heading into the final quarter with a score of 45-33.
Sophomore Makayla Ardis (Lake City, Mich./Lake City) scored the first five points by either team in the fourth quarter and extended the Trine lead back out to a more comfortable 17 points, 50-33, with 7:39 left to play. Adrian looked to rally again and made it an 11-point game just past the midway point by a score of 53-42. But that's as close as the Bulldogs got the rest of the way as seven answered points by Trine, with five points scored by Kaylee Argyle, increased the margin to 18 points, 60-42, at the 2:56 mark. After a jumper by the Bulldogs, the final point was a free-throw by Trine's Sophia Kreag (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) en route to the 61-44 final.
Trine will travel to Holland, Mich. for a game against Hope (Mich.) College on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.