TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (4-24, 2-15 CCAC) at #22 ROBERT MORRIS EAGLES (20-8, 11-6 CCAC)
Wednesday, February 19 | 7:30 p.m.
RMU Athletic Center | Arlington Heights, Ill.
TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (4-24, 2-15 CCAC) vs. SAINT FRANCIS FIGHTING SAINTS (14-13, 11-6 CCAC)
Saturday, February 22 | 7:30 p.m.
Meyer Sports Complex | Deerfield, Ill.
Streaming Video: Robert Morris | St. Francis | Game Notes
Season Stats: Trinity International | Robert Morris | St. Francis
Twitter Updates: @TIUTrojans | @TIUBasketball_M | @RMUEagles | @USFSaints
This Week
A pair of CCAC matchups await the Trinity International Trojans in the final week of the regular season, who will finish out the year with a trip to Robert Morris on Wednesday night, followed by a Senior Night game against St. Francis. Both games this week will be available online, as RMU will webcast the mid-week matchup at www.EagleSportsNetwork.com, while the game with the Fighting Saints this weekend can be found through the TIU Sports Network.
Last Time Out
With 13 lead changes throughout the game, the Trinity International Trojans started the week with a toe-to-toe battle against the Purdue-North Central Panthers, but a run from PUC in the closing stages dropped the Trojans, 91-78 Monday night in the Meyer Sports Complex. James Glass led TIU with 19 points, as three Trojans finished in double-figures. On Wednesday, TIU overcame a second-half deficit and ended their 13-game slide with a 71-60 win road win over the Judson Eagles. Freshman forward Andy Stauffer led the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Trojans, recording his third double-double of the season. Then last weekend, TIU held a second-half lead over 5th-ranked St. Xavier, but a cold streak on offense down the stretch ended the Trojans chance to shock the Cougars, falling in the end 80-72. Freshman Thomas Amrine led TIU with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, and four three-pointers on the night, as four Trojans in all finished in double figures.Â
Team Rankings
• Trinity International ranks 25th in NAIA-II with 12.6 offensive rebounds per game.
• Defensively, the Trojans are 40th in the NAIA with 203 total steals this season, and 46th in blocked shots, averaging 2.9 per game.
• In the CCAC, Trinity International ranks 6th in scoring offense, with 75.8 points per game.
• The Trojans have struggled on the defensive end, allowing a conference-high 87.4 points per game, and a .485 opponent's shooting percentage that ranks 12th in the CCAC.
• TIU is 6th in the CCAC with 7.3 steals per game, and 6th in blocked shots, with 2.9 per game.
• The team ranks 4th in the conference with 12.6 offensive rebounds per game.
Player Notes
#34 • Nate Ball
• Junior Nate Ball has averaged a team-high 13.3 points per game this season, along with a team-high 9.0 rebounds.
• The Trojans' primary leader in the frontcourt, Ball leads the league in rebounding, and ranks 19th in the CCAC in scoring average.
• Nationally, Ball ranks 18th in the NAIA in rebounding average, 16th in total rebounds (234), and is 4th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (3.8).
• Ball has collected a CCAC-leading 12 double-doubles this year, with his most recent coming in the loss at Trinity Christian on Feb. 8. Ball is the only conference player with ten or more double-doubles, and has three more than the second-leading player in the league.
• Last week, picked up seven points in his lone appearance against St. Xavier, going 3-for-10 from the field while pulling down eight rebounds.
#23 • Thomas Amrine
• In his freshman season, Amrine has averaged 12.0 points per game, ranking 26th in the CCAC, and second in the league among freshmen.
• Amrine has averaged 2.9 three-pointers per game, good for 14th in NAIA-II, and 3rd in the CCAC.
• The Ramstein, Germany native is shooting 41.7% from three-point range, 6th-best in the CCAC.
• Defensively, Amrine has 1.6 steals per game (9th in CCAC), and 46 total steals on the season (32nd in NAIA-II).
• On Jan. 4, Amrine set a career high with 27 points against Bethany, going 11-for-19 from the field, and 5-of-11 from long range; his 27-point outburst is the most by any Trojan this season.
• After struggling to reach double-figures for six straight games, Amrine posted 13 points in the win over Judson last week, and led TIU with 18 points against St. Xavier. He also shot 53.8% from three-point range over all three games last week.
#21 • Justin Peeples
• Peeples is averaging 10.0 points per game, and is one of the nation's best free throw shooters, knocking down shots at the charity stripe at a 85.4% (88-of-103) clip, ranking 3rd in the CCAC, and 17th in the NAIA-II.
• The Chicago, Ill. native has picked up double figures in 14 of the last 20 games, including a career-high 21 points in the Trojans' game with Judson on Dec. 14.
• Peeples averaged 10.7 points per game last week, reaching double figures in all three games, with a high of 11 points against both Purdue-North Central and St. Xavier.
#45 • Sam Salem
• Salem is averaging 9.1 points per game, and has the second-most three-pointers on the team, going 33-for-111 (29.7%) from long range.
• The sophomore leads the team and ranks 12th in the CCAC with 3.2 assists per game.
• Salem has recorded five or more assists five times this season, setting a career high with eight helpers in games against Reinhardt and Valor Christian.
#54 • Andy Stauffer
• Stauffer has started 23 of 28 games for TIU, starting against Purdue-North Central after coming off the bench the previous four games.
• The freshman is averaging 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds each game.
• Stauffer is the team's second-leading rebounder, ranking 25th in the CCAC overall, and third among league freshmen.
• The Colorado Springs, Colo. native had originally posted season- and career-highs with 20 points in the win against Valor Christian on Nov. 16.
• He matched that total to lead the Trojans in their win at Judson last week, going 7-of-14 from the field, while recording a career-high 14 rebounds.
• Stauffer picked up his third double-double of the year at Judson, and averaged 14.3 points per game for the week.
#22 • James Glass
• Having 19 starts this year, sophomore James Glass has bounced in and out of the starting lineup, last starting against Purdue-North Central and Judson last week.
• Glass is averaging 7.7 points per game, and 8.6 points each night as a starter.
• The sophomore has scored in double figures six times this season, setting a career high with 25 points against Reinhardt.
• Glass had his second-highest point total of the season against Purdue-North Central, recording a team-high 19 points, with an 8-for-9 performance from the free throw line. He had another solid game against St. Xavier, with nine points and seven rebounds in the loss.
#3 • Blake Mann
• Mann is averaging 5.6 points per game, including six games in double figures this season.
• The freshman has one double-double on the year, with a career-high 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Trojans' win over Valor Christian on Nov. 16.
• Mann picked up six points and seven rebounds in the win at Judson last weekend.
#5 • Sean Smith
• Smith earned his first start of the season against Roosevelt on Feb. 1, and has started all seven games since.
• The freshman is averaging 4.9 points per game, while shooting .479 from the field, the second-highest average by a Trojan this season.
• Smith set a career high with 16 points in the loss at Benedictine-Springfield back on Nov. 23
• The LaGrange, Ill. native averaged just 2.7 points per game last week, going 3-for-6 from the field in three games.
Scouting the Opponents
Robert Morris
• The Eagles sit 3rd in the CCAC North Division, and are locked into the No. 3 seed for the upcoming CCAC tourney with a 11-6 league record.
• RMU are ranked No. 22 in the latest NAIA Coaches Poll, after receiving votes last week, and come into Wednesday's game on a two-game win streak, defeating No. 5 St. Xavier and Holy Cross last week.
• Robert Morris ranks 2nd in the CCAC with 83.4 points per game, and allow 76.2 points to their opponents, the 9th-lowest average in the league.
• Senior Sean Montgomery is one of three Eagles to average double figures, leading the team with 18.7 points per game, ranking 4th in the CCAC and 45th in NAIA-II.
• Montgomery also ranks 19th in NAIA-II, with an average of 2.8 three-pointers made per game.
• The Eagles lead the series over Trinity International since 2003, 5-0.
• Robert Morris earned an 99-80 win over TIU on Feb. 3 in Deerfield. Sam Salem led the Trojans with 21 points in the loss.
St. Francis
• The Saints enter the week on a three-game win streak, and have won 7 of their last 9 overall.
• USF currently are 3rd in the CCAC South Division, and are mathmatically still eligible for the division title with a pair of wins this week.
• St. Francis have the 10th-highest scoring offense in the CCAC, averaging 72.8 points per game. Defensively, the Saints allow 72.5 points to their opponents, ranking 7th in the CCAC.
• Junior Chris Miller is the team's scoring leader, with 15.6 points per game, ranking 9th in the CCAC.
• Miller has shot 44.0% from beyond the arc, ranking 20th in NAIA-II; his free throw shooting percentage of 84.0% ranks 25th nationally.
• The Trojans defeated USF in their last meeting, 68-64 on Feb. 2 of last season, snapping a six-game skid against the Saints.
• St. Francis leads the series over Trinity International since 2003, six games to two.
