DEERFIELD, Ill. -- With his second double-double of the season, senior Nate Ball scored a career-high 25 points, leading Trinity International to their second straight victory, 90-75 over the Kuyper (Mich.) Cougars. Ball also collected 15 rebounds and three blocks to help the Trojans to a win in their first game back following the Christmas break.

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The Trojans led throughout most of the contest, although Kuyper stayed within striking distance until the final few possessions. TIU jumped out to a 13-1 lead in the first two and a half minutes, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Thomas Amrine, and a trey from Sam Salem.

Kuyper battled back, scoring 12 unanswered to tie the game at the 12:18 mark of the first half. Trinity re-gained the lead on Amrine's third triple of the day the next trip down the floor, but weren't able to build more than a two-possession lead until James Glass' layup at the 5:36 mark made it a 31-26 Trojan advantage. TIU's biggest lead of the half came on a layup from David Chatman, set up from an Amrine steal on the defensive end with 1:46 until the end of the half.

Trinity went into the break with a 49-39 lead, their second-largest halftime leading margin this season. Salem and Amrine led the team with 11 points each at the break, as the team shot an even 50.0% (20-40) from the field, and 54.5% (6-11) from three-point range.

Ball led the second half off with a layup to extend the Trojans' lead to 51-39, but the Cougars used an 18-6 run to tie the score at 57-57, with 14:40 to play. Chatman answered with a layup, drawing the foul and completing the three-point play on the next possession to put TIU in front for good, kick-starting a run of seven unanswered to put the Trojans in a position to seal the win down the stretch. TIU's biggest lead of the night came in the final minute, with a pair of free throws from Justin Peeples to make it a 89-74 score.

With 18 points and 10 rebounds in just the second half alone, Ball picked up his 22nd career double-double in the win. All five Trojan starters finished in double figures, led by Ball's 25; Chatman, Peeples and Amrine each scored 13, while Salem collected 11 points in the win. For Peeples, the performance marked his team-leading 10th game this year with ten or more points.

TIU is back in action this Friday, January 9, when they host the Northland International (Wisc.) Pioneers. A late-afternoon start time for the Trojans, as tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. inside Van Dixhorn Arena.