DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Senior Nate Ball picked up his 1,000th career point, as well as his first double-double of the season, as the Trinity International Trojans nearly shook up the national rankings, suffering a 73-68 loss in overtime to the 2nd-ranked Cardinal Stritch Wolves, Tuesday night inside the Van Dixhorn Arena.

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In a big moment, both in his career, as well as in the game, Ball knocked down a pair of free throws for his 999th and 1,000th point over his four-year Trojan career, that also erased a 19-point second-half lead for the Wolves, with 2:20 to play in regulation. A Sam Salem three-pointer briefly put the Trojans in front, before Stritch answered with a three of their own to take a 62-60 lead with 1:47 on the clock.

Thomas Amrine scored on a drive and layup to tie the score at 62-62, and after a pair of missed Stritch free throws, Justin Peeples' buzzer-beating three-pointer was off the mark.

Cardinal Stritch jumped out to a big lead in the opening minutes, blitzing the Trojans for a 17-2 lead in the game's first six minutes. The Wolves' lead stretched to as much as 18, after a Matt Reinke three-pointer at the 10:38 mark, but Trinity then responded, outscoring Stritch 17-10 to cut into the deficit and go into the halftime break trailing 32-21.

Eleven straight points to open the second half put Stritch comfortably ahead once again, but TIU started to climb back. An Amrine three-pointer, one of three in the second half for the sophomore, cut the lead to single digits, at 8:51 in regulation, leading to the eventual extra session.

A pair of turnovers on offense and a pair of buckets on defense quickly put Trinity in a 66-62 hole in the first minute of overtime. Twice in the final minute the Trojans would close to within a single point, including Peeples' drive with ten seconds remaining, making it a 69-68 score. Stritch would knock down their free throws down the stretch, however, to hold on for the win.

"When you're playing a team as good as Stritch, you have to execute down the stretch and we didn't do that tonight," said head coach Boomer Roberts after the game. "We had some big-time performers, and we are continuing to get better. This team won't quit, and we will keep grinding. We have two more big ones next week, and we'll be ready to go."

Three Trojans finished in double-figures, led by Ball with 19. Peeples collected 17 points on the night, while Amrine contributed 15 points.

The Trojans return home after the Thanksgiving break, to host No. 23 St. Xavier, on Wednesday, December 3. Tipoff against the nationally-ranked Cougars is set for 7:30 p.m.

Notes:

- Ball becomes the second current Trojan to reach the 1,000-point plateau, joining Dillon Wadsack, who currently has 1,055 over his four seasons at TIU.
- Ball also collected seven blocked shots on the night, coming up one shy of the season-high in the NAIA.
- With 19 points and 12 rebounds, Ball earns the team's first double-double of the season.
- The Trojans had an off night from long range, hitting just four threes, the fewest in a game this season, with a .222 3-point FG percentage.
- TIU's defense held the 2nd-ranked Wolves to 73 points, the second-lowest total by a TIU opponent this season, despite Stritch getting an extra five minutes in the overtime period.