DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Senior guard Justin Peeples finished with a team-high 27 points, leading three Trojans with double figures, but a second-half run from Roosevelt proved to be too much, as Trinity International suffered an 86-77 loss to the Lakers in the CCAC opener.

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Sophomore Thomas Amrine posted 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and a 3-of-7 performance from long range. Junior David Chatman contributed ten points in the loss, with 4-of-6 shooting on the night.

The Trojans (1-4, 0-1 CCAC) jumped out to an early lead, thanks to five straight points from Amrine to start the game. A seven-point run from the Lakers put Roosevelt in front, but a three-pointer from Peeples gave TIU a 10-9 lead with 16:24 in the first half.

From that point throughout the rest of the half, the lead would flip back and forth 15 more times, as both teams battled to take control of the game. Roosevelt took their biggest lead of the half when Adam Alexander's fast-break layup made it a 29-23 Laker advantage at the 7:09 mark. The Trojans would answer with a 6-1 run to close the gap, eventually moving back in front again with a three from Amrine with 3:22 remaining until the break. The Lakers would score the final four points of the half to take a 43-40 advantage.

Nate Ball would close the gap with a bucket right out of the gate to start the second half, and the Trojans briefly moved ahead 49-48 on another trey from Amrine. After trading scores and moving ahead 51-50 on a Peeples drive and layup, Roosevelt scored four straight to take a lead they wouldn't give up the rest of the night.

A 18-5 run midway through the second half, fueled by Roosevelt's Tyree York, who scored 16 for the Lakers during that span, saw Trinity suddenly trailing 72-59 with 7:35 remaining. The Lakers saw their biggest lead of the night about a minute later, with a layup from RU's Kevin Priebe that stretched the lead to 15 points, at 75-60.

The Trojans battled back, cutting the deficit to five points in the closing minutes, on a jumper from Joshua Ajayi. The Lakers would score enough to hold off a comeback attempt, however, taking the conference opener over TIU.

"I'm disappointed with the loss, but credit Coach Griffin and Roosevelt," said TIU head coach Boomer Roberts after the game. "They dictated a major portion of the second half, and hit some tough shots when they needed to. We competed, but we didn't do the little things well enough to win."

The Trojans are back in action this weekend, when they travel to Naperville, Ill., for the Chicago Marriott Naperville Tip-Off Classic, hosted by North Central University. TIU will face off against hosts North Central on Friday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a meeting with the defending NCAA Division III national champions Wisconsin-Whitewater, on Saturday, November 23.