DUBUQUE, Iowa - Three players finished in double figures, as Trinity International survived a late run to defeat the Clarke (Iowa) Crusaders, 69-66 on Saturday afternoon.

Box Score

A three-pointer from Luke Mead gave the Trojans (1-0) a ten-point lead with seven and a half minutes to play, but the host Crusaders would chip away, cutting the Trojan advantage down to a single point with 1:22 on the clock. A James Glass jumper proved to be the dagger with 34 seconds left, as a desperation shot at the last second would fall short, securing the win for Trinity.

Junior Grant Corsi led the Trojans with 13 points in his TIU debut, going 6-for-11 from the field while pulling down seven rebounds. Thomas Amrine and Greg Carlyle each posted 12 points, with Amrine going 3-for-5 from three-point range, and Carlyle shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

The Trinity defense proved to be a big factor in the win, forcing 12 steals and scoring 25 points off Clarke turnovers.

"I'm proud of the way we played on the defensive end," said TIU head coach Boomer Roberts after the game. "We played with a toughness that we needed to beat a solid team on the road."

The Trojans built an 11-point halftime lead, thanks to a 12-2 run midway through the period, with six points coming from Amrine during the rally. The home team shot an even 50.0% from the field after the break, but were never able to even the score before the clock ran out.

"We are a long ways from good offensively, and our inexperience playing as a group showed today," said Roberts. "We were missing a couple of key roation guys, but each guy who played made an impact in some way. We need to be much more efficient on both ends, and figure out each other's strengths moving forward. It was a resilient win in our season opener, so we're happy to be 1-0."

The Trojans return to Van Dixhorn Arena for Friday's home opener, as part of the 2015 LaQuinta Classic. Trinity will tip off against Silver Lake (Wisc.) at 8:00 p.m. on November 6.