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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (12-15, 7-10 CCAC) vs. ROBERT MORRIS EAGLES (15-13, 9-8 CCAC)
Wednesday, February 18 | 7:30 p.m.
Van Dixhorn Arena | Deerfield, Ill.
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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (12-15, 7-10 CCAC) at No. 15 ST. FRANCIS FIGHTING SAINTS (20-8, 14-3 CCAC)
Saturday, February 14 | 7:00 p.m.
Sullivan Center | Joliet, Ill.
Game Notes | Twitter Updates | Live Video: Judson | St. Xavier
Season Stats: TIU | Robert Morris | St. Francis
Quick Notes
• TIU Men's Basketball will honor their five seniors before the final home game of the regular season, while the team works towards its first CCAC Tournament appearance in two years. The Trojans host Robert Morris in a CCAC North matchup this Wednesday night, February 18, before hitting the road for the season finale at No. 15 St. Francis.
• 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 St. Francis matchup will be a pay-per-view broadcast, for $4.99.
• With one more win, or a loss from Calumet St. Joseph in the South Division, Trinity can clinch a spot in next week's CCAC Tournament. TIU currently holds the first of two wild-card spots, after the top four places from each division punch their tickets to the postseason.
• The Trojans were on a ten-game winning streak, before the loss at Roosevelt on Jan. 31. It was the team's longest streak since the 1995-96 season, when the Trojans won 12 straight games en route to an NAIA Tournament appearance and NIIC conference title. Since then, the Trojans have dropped five straight.
• Three players are averaging double figures for TIU this season, with senior point guard Justin Peeples scoring a team-high 13.5 points per game. Nate Ball has contributed 12.6 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds each night, while Thomas Amrine has scored 12.3 points per game.
• Robert Morris enters play this week having lost three straight, after winning four of five, including four wins on the road. Overall, the Eagles are 5-9 on the road this season.
• St. Francis started the conference season with a 13-0 record, but have dropped three of four after a road loss to Olivet Nazarene on Feb. 4.
• On Jan. 27, Trojan guard Thomas Amrine became TIU's second CCAC Player of the Week of the season, after matching a school record with eight three-pointers made in TIU's road win over Olivet Nazarene on Jan. 21. The sophomore earns his first-ever Player of the Week award, and the second for a Trojan this season (Nate Ball, Nov. 5).
• Amrine matched his career high with eight three-pointers again two weeks ago, scoring 24 points to lead the Trojans in a 80-77 loss to Trinity Christian on Feb. 7.
• The Trojans are averaging 75.7 points per game, good for 5th in the CCAC. Robert Morris ranks fourth in the league, with 77.3 points per game, while St. Francis sits seventh, with an average of 72.6 points per game.
• Defensively, the Trojans offer up 76.1 points per game to their opponents, ranking 11th in the CCAC. Robert Morris comes in 13th, giving up an average of 76.9 points per game. USF ranks 5th, at 68.8 points per game.
Series History with RMU & USF
• Trinity International is still looking for their first-ever win over Robert Morris, having dropped the first seven matchupes dating back to 2008.
• The closest margin of victory in the series came in a 90-76 loss for Trinity, on Nov 20, 2012.
• St. Francis leads the series with TIU, 6-3, but the Trojans have taken two of the last three meetings.
• From 2007-11, the Saints took five straight wins, after Trinity opened the series with a 71-65 win on Dec. 5, 2006.
Last Time Out vs. Robert Morris
• For the first time of the season, Trinity International held a halftime lead over a nationally-ranked opponent, but a cold stretch in the closing minutes was too much to overcome, as the Trojans suffered a 85-68 road loss to then-No. 17 Robert Morris inside the RMU Athletic Center on Dec. 19.
• The Trojans went the final six and a half minutes without a field goal, as RMU finished on a 15-4 run over that span to earn their seventh win in as many meetings with TIU. Trinity finished even with the Eagles in the turnover battle, with both sides committing 15 errors apiece; the Trojans also narrowly out-rebounded RMU, 43-42 on the night.
• Senior Justin Peeples led the Trojans with 19 points, as five players finished in double figures. Senior Nate Ball and junior James Glass came up just short of recording double-doubles, with nine rebounds each, and 10 and 11 points, respectively.
Last Time Out vs. St. Francis
• After trailing by as much as 15 points in the second half, the Trinity International Trojans claimed a Senior Night victory over the St. Francis Fighting Saints, 77-75, on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from sophomore Sam Salem. The Trojans closed on a 20-9 run over the last four minutes to earn the win in the last game of the regular season.
• The Trojans were down by four with 12 seconds on the clock, when USF's Chris Miller hit one of two free throws, making it a two-possession game and seemingly putting the game out of reach for TIU. Freshman Thomas Amrine knocked down a desperation three in the corner with eight seconds remaining to bring the Trojans to within one, 75-74. After a TIU timeout, St. Francis looked to inbounds the ball and run out the clock; an errant pass, however, resulted in a turnover and the Trojans were set up for the game-winner. With two seconds on the clock, Salem knocked down a shot from the top of the key to close out the season with the win.
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 1,252 career points.
• Ball becomes the second active Trojan to join the 1,000-point club, joining fellow senior Dillon Wadsack, who has tallied 1,147 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 a team-leading 13.5 points per game, and Ball contributing 12.6 points & 8.3 rebounds each night.
• Dillon Wadsack, who returns after missing all of last season to injury, has been the Trojans sixth man, averaging 5.7 points per game off the bench.
• Sam Salem has averaged 2.9 assists per game, and has added in 8.2 points per game while shooting 40.8% from the field.
• Paul Badgley has seen action in 20 of 27 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.