WHITING, Ind. - Cory Windle led Trinity International with 20 points, while senior
Sean Smith scored a career-high 19, but the Trojans ultimately fell to the host Calumet St. Joseph Crimson Wave on Saturday afternoon, 91-74.
Box Score | Season Stats The Trojans (8-6, 2-4 CCAC) placed four players in double figures, but struggled on the glass, as the Crimson Wave (9-4, 5-1 CCAC) out-rebounded TIU 54-34. "Calumet is a tough opponent to beat on the road, and we didn't get enough stops in the second half after putting ourselves in a decent position," said coach
Boomer Roberts. "I'm proud of Cory's performance. It's never easy to jump sports, but his presence has been big for us. Sean had his best statistical game in his career, and I'm proud of his boards and zero turnovers more than the points."
Trinity held an early 7-5 lead after a
Jeremy Carlyle jumper at the 17:19 mark of the first half, but Calumet answered with nine straight points to move in front by seven. The Wave would hold the lead throughout the rest of the first half, going into the locker room ahead 47-30.
Both sides would match each other in the second half, 44-44, as the Trojans would hit eight second-half three-pointers but were unable to hold Calumet on the defensive end. The home team would lead by as much as 28 points before TIU rallied with an 18-3 run midway through the second, cutting the lead down to 80-69 with 6:47 to play. Calumet would hit five of their next six field goal attempts to hold the lead and secure the win.
Caleb Kelley finished with a season-high 14 points on the night, while Carlyle posted 10 points, finishing in double figures for the third straight game. "Caleb continues to get better each game as he gets more confident. Jeremy was hobbled a bit, but gutted out another strong game," said Roberts. "We'll use this week to rest up and finish well in the classroom, and whoever suits up next weekend will be ready to represent TIU well once again."
Trinity returns to Van Dixhorn Arena for the final game of 2015, when they host Purdue-North Central on Saturday, December 21, starting at 3:00 p.m.
