Second half surge ends Trojans' upset hopes against #16 Robert Morris
Greg Gorham
Box Score Box Score | Season Stats
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Trailing by just two points at the half, the Trinity International Trojans looked poised to have a shot at an upset win over a nationally-ranked opponent, but the No. 16 Robert Morris Eagles stretched their lead in the second half, defeating the Trojans 99-80 on Monday night inside the Meyer Sports Complex. Sophomore Sam Salem led Trinity International with 21 points on the night as one of three Trojans in double figures.
Trinity International (3-20, 1-11 CCAC) took an early lead with Sean Smith's three-pointer, putting his team ahead 7-4 at the 17:11 mark of the first half. Smith would give TIU their biggest lead of the night on the following possession, knocking down a free throw to put the Trojans ahead by four.
The Eagles (18-6, 9-4 CCAC) answered with six unanswered points over the next four minutes, edging ahead by a 10-8 margin. Both teams would trade the lead back and forth eight times during the first half, with neither side gaining more than a five-point advantage on their opponents.
Thomas Amrine knocked down one of his two three-pointers on the night to put the Trojans in front at the 3:42 mark of the first half, 36-35. Robert Morris answered with a pair of free throws and a layup from a TIU turnover to move back in front 39-36, with 3:25 to play until the break.
RMU looked to build some momentum and stretch their lead before heading into the locker rooms, but another long-range bucket, this time from Matt Heber, closed the gap to just two points at halftime, 43-41.
Trinity International were unable to take a second-half lead, twice closing the deficit to two points following RMU scores. Nate Ball's jumper at the 18:16 mark made it a 47-45 game, but seven unanswered points stretched the Eagles' lead to 54-45 in under a minute due to a pair of TIU turnovers.
The lead stretched to double-digits for the first time when RMU's Demarko Nash scored on a layup to go up 60-49, with 14:24 still to play. Robert Morris were able to get into a rhythm offensively, and pulled away to close out the game, 99-80.
Along with Salem, Ball and Smith both reached double figures, scoring 18 and 11 points, respectively. Ball also had four blocked shots on the night, matching the junior center's season high.
The Trojans had a strong performance at the free throw line, shooting 20-for-22 as a team from the charity stripe, for a season-best 90.9%. Five different players for TIU had a perfect night at the line, with at least two attempts, including Salem, who went 6-for-6 to lead TIU.
Trinity International will now turn around and prepare for their second nationally-ranked foe in three nights; the No. 1-ranked Cardinal Stritch Wolves come to Deerfield on Wednesday, February 5, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
