TIU Men's Basketball comes up short against Olivet Nazarene
Greg Gorham
Box Score Box Score | Season Stats
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Two Trojans finished in double figures, led by Thomas Amrine's 17 points, but the Olivet Nazarene Tigers would pull away in the closing minutes to take a 80-71 game over Trinity International, Wednesday night in the Meyer Sports Complex.
The freshman knocked down five three-pointers, shooting 6-of-15 from the field on the night to lead the Trojans (3-17, 1-8 CCAC). TIU held an early lead after getting out to a 6-2 start, remaining in front for the first six minutes of play. The Tigers (8-11, 6-4 CCAC) answered with an 8-2 run of their own, capped off with a layup from ONU's Austin Davis, to claim a 14-11 edge at the 12:28 mark of the first half.
Olivet Nazarene's lead slowly grew to as much as eight points in the first half, when Reid Farchmin hit a layup with 7:25 to play until the break. The Trojans would come back to tie the score at 28-28 on a Sean Smith layup, before heading to the locker rooms with a 32-31 halftime deficit.
Amrine came out with a strong start in the second half, tying the game at the 18:21 mark with a three-pointer, then giving Trinity International a two-point advantage with another trey less than a minute later. After ONU took a 42-39 lead, Nate Ball hit just his seventh three-pointer of the season to tie the game again, with 15:45 to play.
Ball, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, battled foul trouble throughout the second half, and had to sit during a good portion of the second half. With 11:56 remaining in the second half, Ball committed his fourth foul of the night, and headed to the bench with his team in front. Justin Peeples hit a layup after a pair of missed free throws from the Tigers, putting TIU ahead 51-48 on the very next possession.
The Tigers took advantage with Trinity International's leader off the floor, and quickly took a 52-51 lead with a pair of free throws by Farchmin. The Trojans kept the score within two possessions until another Farchmin layup with 5:26 remaining pushed the Olivet Nazarene lead to 66-59, bringing Ball back into the game.
TIU would close the gap to as few as five points, highlighted by a fast break dunk from the Galena, Ill. native, with 1:06 to play. Being sent to the line once the Trojans began to intentionally foul, however, Olivet Nazarene went 10-for-11 from the free throw line down the stretch to close out the win.
Peeples posted double-figures for the 13th time this season, collecting 14 points on a pair of field goals and a perfect 10-for-10 night from the free throw line. Ball finished with nine points and seven rebounds over 24 minutes of play. Tommy Ramsey, in his season debut, collected four points off the bench, shooting 2-for-5 from the field over eight minutes of action.
The Trojans continue their current homestand when they host the Purdue-North Central Panthers this Satuday, January 25. Tipoff in the CCAC matchup is set for 7:30 p.m.
