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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (8-10, 4-5 CCAC) at OLIVET NAZARENE TIGERS (14-6, 8-1 CCAC)
Wednesday, January 21 | 7:30 p.m.
McHie Arena | Bourbonnais, Ill.
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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (8-10, 4-5 CCAC) at PURDUE-NORTH CENTRAL PANTHERS (6-14, 2-7 CCAC)
Saturday, January 24 | 7:00 p.m.
LaPorte Civic Auditorium | LaPorte, Ind.
Game Notes | Twitter Updates | Live Video: Olivet Nazarene | Purdue-North Central
Season Stats: TIU | Olivet Nazarene | Purdue-North Central
Quick Notes
• Trinity International enters play this week on their longest win streak in eight seasons, and look to keep the momentum rolling this week, in a pair of CCAC road trips at Olivet Nazarene and Purdue-North Central.
• Live video will be available for both games, and links to both webcasts can be found on the men's basketball schedule page at TIUTrojans.com.
• The Trojans are currently on a six-game winning streak, matching their longest streak since the 2006-07 season. That year, the Trojans won the CCAC Tournament championship and earned a berth into the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.
• Three players are averaging double figures for TIU this season, with senior point guard Justin Peeples scoring a team-high 14.6 points per game. Thomas Amrine has contributed 12.7 points each night, while Nate Ball has scored 11.2 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game.
• Olivet Nazarene are on a five-game win streak themselves, which includes two wins over nationally-ranked opponents. The Tigers knocked off then-No. 15 Georgetown (Ky.) on Jan. 4, then earned a 22-point victory over No. 25 Robert Morris last week.
• ONU forward Aaron Larson is the CCAC's reigning Player of the Week, winning the award for the fourth time this season.
• Purdue-North Central have won two straight, earning a road conference victory at Judson last Saturday, before taking a dominating win over Illinois Tech on Monday.
• The Trojans are averaging 75.4 points per game, good for 6th in the CCAC. Olivet Nazarene ranks second in the league, with 78.4 points per game, while Purdue-North Central is 13th in the conference, with 67.8 points per game.
• Defensively, the Trojans offer up 76.7 points per game to their opponents, ranking 12th in the CCAC. Olivet Nazarene boasts the third-best defense in the league, giving up 69.7 points per game, while Purdue-North Central sits 9th in the CCAC, allowing 75.4 points per game on defense.
• Senior center Nate Ball was named CCAC Player of the Week on Nov. 5, after leading the Trojans with 16.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over two games at the Judson Classic. On Nov. 25, Ball recorded the team's first double-double of the season, with 19 points and 12 rebounds against No. 2 Cardinal Stritch.
• Two seniors, Nate Ball and Sam Salem, have set new career scoring highs during the current win streak. Ball led the Trojans with 25 points in their win over Kuyper, going 9-for-14 from the field and matching his career-high with nine field goals. Salem posted 23 points against Holy Cross on Jan. 10, setting new personal bests in field goals made (8), field goal percentage (80.0%), and three-pointers made (5).
• Senior Paul Badgley had a career night against No. 19 St. Xavier on Dec. 3; the Rushville, Ind. native scored a career-high 13 points off the bench, while also setting career highs in field goals, field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and minutes.
Road Warriors
• Sophomore Thomas Amrine and junior David Chatman have had strong seasons so far in 2014-15, but both Trojans seem to excel when they play away from Van Dixhorn Arena.
• Amrine is averaging 13.9 points per game away from home, compared to 11.6 points over the nine home games this season. The Ramstein, Germany native is the team's leader in three-point field goals, but the sharpshooter is connecting on 50% (32-64) of his threes in road and neutral-site games, compared to a 27.8% shooting percentage at home.
• Chatman has scored 6.4 points per game at home, but is averaging double figures on the road, with 10.2 points per game.
• Alternatively, seniors Justin Peeples and Nate Ball have higher scoring averages at home; Peeples is scoring 15.8 points per game inside Van Dixhorn Arena, two and a half points more than on the road. Ball has posted averages of 11.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game at home, with lower numbers outside of Deerfield.
Series History with ONU & PUNC
• Trinity International have not earned a win over Olivet Nazarene in their previous seven meetings dating back to 2003-04.
• The Trojans lead the series over Purdue-North Central since the 2003-04 season by an 18-4 margin, but lost their most recent matchup, 91-78 last February.
• The Trojans had won 16 of the first 17 matchups in the series, before the Panthers claimed three of the last five meetings.
Last Time Out vs. Olivet Nazarene
• Two Trojans finished in double figures, led by Thomas Amrine's 17 points, but the Olivet Nazarene Tigers would pull away in the closing minutes to take a 80-71 game over Trinity International, on Jan. 22, 2014 in the Meyer Sports Complex.
• The freshman knocked down five three-pointers, shooting 6-of-15 from the field on the night to lead the Trojans as Trinity were down 32-31 at the halftime break before ultimately falling to the Tigers.
Last Time Out vs. Purdue-North Central
• With 13 lead changes throughout the game, Trinity battled toe-to-toe with the Panthers, but a run from PUNC in the closing stages dropped the Trojans, 91-78 in the Meyer Sports Complex, on Feb. 10, 2014.
• James Glass led TIU with 19 points, as three Trojans finished in double-figures. Andy Stauffer collected 12 points, while Justin Peeples pitched in with 11 points to finish in double figures.
• After Sam Salem's three-pointer at the 10:41 mark tied the score at 60-60, the Panthers would go ahead for good, with three layups on their next three possessions. PUNC would maintain a narrow lead, until a 9-0 run would blow the margin up to 12 points, when PNC's Shereff Knight connected on a layup with 4:26 to play, making it a 79-67 Panther lead.
1,000 Point Club
• With his game-high 19 points against Cardinal Stritch on Nov. 25, Nate Ball recorded his 1,000th career point during his TIU career. The senior enters play this week with 1,115 career points.
• Ball becomes the second active Trojan to join the 1,000-point club, joining fellow senior Dillon Wadsack, who has tallied 1,104 points as a Trojan.
• Dan Dondit (1979-83) holds TIU's all-time scoring record, having tallied 2,499 points during his Trojan career.
Senior-Heavy Squad
• The 2014-15 Trojans feature five seniors on the team, all of which are playing significant minutes.
• Seniors Justin Peeples and Nate Ball are two of the three players averaging double figures, with Peeples collecting 14.6 points per game, and Ball contributing 11.2 points each night.
• Dillon Wadsack, who returns after missing all of last season to injury, has been the Trojans sixth man, averaging 5.8 points per game off the bench.
• Sam Salem has averaged 2.4 assists per game, and has added in 7.0 points per game while making 12 starts so far this season.
• Paul Badgley has seen action in 16 of 18 games for Trinity International this season, and had his career-best game, against St. Xavier on Dec. 3. The Rushville, Ind. native scored a career-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, also setting new career bests in field goals made and field goals attempted.
Trojans in the Polls
• Trinity International has appeared in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll 21 times in program history, but not since the 1997-98 campaign.
• TIU's last ranking came on Jan. 6, 1998, when the Trojans came in at No. 20.
• The highest ranking in program history was during the 1995-96 season, when Trinity was at No. 3 in the Jan. 22, 1996 poll.
Van Dixhorn Arena Dedication
• Friends, family, and alumni of Trinity International University are welcome to attend the dedication of the new Henry Van Dixhorn Arena, during the TIU Men's and Women's Basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Feburary 7.
• The newly refurbished arena, made possible by the generous gifts from several friends across the Trinity family, including board member Henry Van Dixhorn and his family, was officially opened Friday, October 24th in the Meyer Sports Complex.
• The arena is the largest gathering space Trinity's campus has ever held, with a capacity of over 1,700 in the stands that now surround the brand new court on all sides.
