Box Score DEERFIELD, Ill. -- After trailing by as much as 15 points in the second half, the Trinity International Trojans claimed a Senior Night victory over the St. Francis Fighting Saints, 77-75, on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from sophomore Sam Salem. The Trojans closed on a 20-9 run over the last four minutes to earn the win in the last game of the regular season.
The Trojans (5-25, 3-16 CCAC) were down by four points with just 12 seconds on the clock, when USF's Chris Miller hit one of two free throws, making it a two-possession game and seemingly putting the game out of reach for TIU. Freshman Thomas Amrine knocked down a desperation three in the corner with eight seconds remaining to bring the Trojans to within one, 75-74.
After a TIU timeout, St. Francis looked to inbounds the ball and run out the clock; an errant pass, however, resulted in a turnover and the Trojans were set up for the game-winner. With two seconds on the clock, Salem knocked down a shot between the circles to close out the season with the win.
After Trojan forward Zach Sweatman was honored before the game as the team's lone senior, both teams battled back and forth throughout the first half, trading the lead six times before the break. TIU never held more than a two-point edge, however, and trailed by as much as seven points when Miller scored on a fast break to put the Saints ahead 29-22 at the 3:14 mark. Amrine hit another of his four three-pointers on the night in the closing seconds of the first half, but a last-second layup from Jean Pietrzak gave St. Francis a 33-28 lead at the half.
That USF lead swelled to as much as 14 points when the Saints opened the second half on an 18-9 run over the first 6:41 of play. The Trojans were behind by double-digits throughout much of the second half, until Amrine's three at the 8:16 mark brought TIU to within seven points. A pair of free throws from Justin Peeples with 6:30 remaining made it a two-point game, 58-56.
The Saints pulled away again, scoring eight of the next nine points to hold a 66-57 advantage with four minutes to play. Trinity International hung on, however, and despite St. Francis going 7-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch, used four three-pointers on offense and three Saint turnovers on defense to climb back into the game.
Salem finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, but it was Amrine and Peeples who led the Trojans on the night, as each tallied 16 points. Junior Nate Ball brought down a game-high nine rebounds while posting six points.
The Trojans finished with their second-highest shooting percentage of the season, going 25-for-49 from the field (51.0%). It also marked the third time this season that TIU shot at or above 50% in a game. The team also shot a season-high 55.0% (11-for-20) from long range.
With the win, Trinity International finishes the 2013-14 season with a record of 5-25, and 3-16 in the CCAC.
