ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Trine University women's basketball team completed their trip to the Sunshine State with a successful 2-0 record in the 2022 Basketball Destinations Classic following a 60-56 win over Wartburg College on Tuesday afternoon. The Thunder fell behind near the halfway mark in the fourth quarter, but a late rally helped them to get back in front for their sixth straight victory.
The win makes #10 Trine 9-2 overall this season, while Wartburg drops to 6-4. It was also a special day for head coach Andy Rang, who has reached 100 career wins in just his fifth season at the helm of the program. He is the second head coach in Trine women's basketball history to reach the milestone.
The Thunder were led offensively by Sierra Hinds, Sidney Wagner and Sam Underhill. Hinds broke her own career scoring high with 19 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc. She had 14 of the team's 18 second quarter points. Wagner and Underhill were consistent throughout the contest with 15 points each. Underhill recorded her second consecutive double-double with 11 rebounds as well.
Trine scored the first four points of the game with a putback by Underhill and a made layup from Alyssa Argyle. The Knights stormed back to tie the game up at six in a defensive-minded first quarter, but five straight points by Hinds helped get the Thunder in front 13-7 at the quarter break.
Wartburg threw the first punch in the second quarter with six straight points, but Hinds broke the scoreless drought with a three-point make over three minutes into the period. She had eight in a row for the Thunder before an Underhill jump shot gave the team their largest lead of the game at 23-16.
A timeout by the Knights swung the momentum their way and eventually took a 24-23 advantage, but it was Hinds once again coming through with a pair of three-point makes to extend the lead. A jumper by Wagner just before the halftime buzzer put the score at 31-27 Thunder.
In the second half, the lead grew to as many as 15 points after a Wagner three with four minutes to go in the third. Underhill and Abby Sanner helped the cause on offense as well, but nine straight points from the USBWA Player of the Week made it 46-31. Even when it looked like Wartburg was down, they continued to fight and scored the final nine points in the third to remain in the game.
The run continued to start the fourth and a 16-0 run was completed at the 7:28 mark to give the Knights the lead out of nowhere. Unphased by the tenacity of their opponents, the Thunder showed grit as well and battled late to regain control. Katie Tate swung the momentum Trine's way with an and-one that put the Thunder up 52-51. Layups by Tate and Wagner extended the lead to 56-53.
In the last three minutes, Wagner and Underhill made jump shots to put Wartburg at a seven-point deficit, 60-53. Trine overcame a made three-point attempt and kept the Knights scoreless over the final 1:30 to secure the 60-56 win.
Another key to the team's success was a large rebounding margin. The Thunder outrebounded their opposition 44-29, with 13 of those 44 coming on the offensive end of the floor. Makayla Ardis pulled in a career-high nine rebounds from the guard spot. Sophie Sloneker distributed a team-high three assists.
After a brief hiatus for Christmas, the Trine women's basketball team returns to the court on Thursday, December 29. The team faces #15 University of Wisconsin-Eau Clare in the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Tournament hosted by DePauw University. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.