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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (10-8) at ILLINOIS TECH SCARLET HAWKS (2-13)
Tuesday, January 12 | 7:00 p.m.
Keating Sports Center | Chicago, Ill.

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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (10-8, 4-6 CCAC) vs. #17 OLIVET NAZARENE TIGERS (10-5, 9-0 CCAC)
Saturday, January 16 | 3:00 p.m.
Van Dixhorn Arena | Deerfield, Ill.

• Trinity International steps out of conference play this week, with a road meeting with the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks, before hosting nationally-ranked Olivet Nazarene over the weekend.
• Both games will be available online, with streaming video at TIUTrojans.com.
• The Trojans enter play this week having won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 23-27. With a win at Illinois Tech, Trinity will match their longest win streak this season (Nov. 10-14).
• As a team, the Trojans rank 4th in the NAIA with 185 total steals, and are 5th nationally with 10.3 steals per game through 18 games this year.
• Six players are currently averaging double figures for the Trojans, led by Cory Windle's 17.0 points per game. Grant Corsi (14.0 ppg), Jeremy Carlyle (13.3), Zach Kirschbaum (12.5), Thomas Amrine (10.7), and James Glass (10.5) are also in double figures at this point in the season.
• The Trojans have the second-highest scoring offense in the CCAC, averaging 83.3 points per game. The 17th-ranked Olivet Nazarene Tigers rank 7th in the league, averaging 77.3 points per game.
• Defensively, Trojans ranks 14th in the CCAC with 79.4 points allowed per game; Olivet sits 6th in the league, allowing 73.8 points per game.
• Illinois Tech is currently averaging 71.3 points per game on offense, while allowing opponents to score 79.7 points each night.
• The Scarlet Hawks are 2-13 overall this season, currently on a five-game slide.
• Olivet Nazarene are the last remaining undefeated team in CCAC play this season, at 9-0. The Tigers face No. 2 St. Francis in a mid-week matchup before heading to Van Dixhorn Arena on Saturday.

Series History
• The Trojans lead the all-time series with Illinois Tech 3-2, after winning at home over the Hawks last season, 83-47.
• Trinity and IIT met four times previously, when Illinois Tech were members of the CCAC. Both sides split the four-game set from 2003-08.
• Saturday marks the ninth meeting between Trinity and Olivet Nazarene, with the Tigers holding a 7-1 edge in the series since 2008.
• The Trojans won for the first time over ONU last season, with an 81-78 road victory. The 81 points were the most TIU had scored in any game against the Tigers.

Last Time Out vs. Illinois Tech
• Junior forward David Chatman led Trinity International with 17 points, but it was a full team effort as five players finished in double figures, and the Trojans earned an 83-47 victory over the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks on Jan. 26, 2015 inside Van Dixhorn Arena.
• Illinois Tech took an early lead after Samuel Rarick scored the first two of his 30 points on the night, then IIT's Manish Suthar connected on a three to give the Scarlet Hawks a 5-2 advantage in the first minute of play. The Trojan defense responded by forcing six turnovers on Illinois Tech's next seven possessions, and going on a 9-2 run to take a lead they would hold the rest of the way.

Last Time Out vs. Olivet Nazarene
• The home team had two chances in the closing seconds to either grab the win, or at least send the game into overtime, but neither shot would go down, as the Trojans earned a big road victory in CCAC play, with an 81-78 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 21, 2015.
• Junior guard Thomas Amrine tied a TIU single-game record, knocking down eight three-pointers in the win.
• Sam Salem would hit one of two free throws, making it a three-point game with eight seconds to play. ONU's Austin Davis' attempt to tie the game in the closing seconds would be off the mark, securing the first win for the Trojans over Olivet Nazarene in over 12 years.

National Leaders
• Going into this week, the Trojans rank 21st in the NAIA in points scored, totaling 1,499 points so far this season.
• A large part of the high-scoring offense comes from Trinity's three-point shooting prowess, as the Trojans rank 18th in the NAIA with a total of 158 three-point field goals made. Trojans is averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game, the 26th-best average in the nation.
• The Trojans have the 10th-best turnover margin in the NAIA, averaging 4.3 fewer turnovers than their opponents on the season.

Career Milestone
• Senior shooting guard Thomas Amrine has collected 849 career points during his Trojans career, just 151 shy of joining the 1,000-point club.
• Amrine would become the 19th player in Trinity International history to reach 1,000 points.
• Last season, Trinity had two of the 18 previous 1,000-point scorers on the same team, in center Nate Ball, and guard Dillon Wadsack.
• Ball finished his Trojans career 13th on the program's all-time scoring list, with 1,304 career points. Wadsack is 14th, with 1,170 points.

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.
• Trojans'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. 

New Signing
• The Trinity International men's basketball program received a major boost in the 2016 recruiting class this week, as the Trojans announced the signing of Mark Smith, a 6-7 forward from Riverside-Brookfield High School (Riverside, Ill).
• Smith is a two-year starter for Riverside-Brookfield and Head Coach Tom McCloskey. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Illinois High School Rankings at the 4A level. Smith has his squad off to a great start this season, as the Bulldogs sit at 6-1, with the only blemish a shorthanded loss to Gonzaga College HS out of Washington, D.C., the 23rd-ranked team in the USA Today National Rankings.

Halfway Home
• The Trojans are exactly halfway through the 20-game CCAC schedule, and hold a 4-6 record in league play.
• Trinity currently sit 10th in the overall CCAC standings, as the top eight earn a spot in the CCAC Tournament (Feb. 24-Mar. 1)

Magic Number
• On the defensive end of the court this season, the 80-point mark seems to be the key for a Trojan victory. Ten times this season, TIU has held their opponents to under 80 points, and the Trojans have gone 9-1 in those games. When allowing 80 or more points, Trinity has only one win in eight tries.
• In the season-and-a-half of the Roberts era, Trinity International holds a 21-5 mark when their opponents score less than 80 points, and a 2-20 record when the other side hits the 80-point plateau.

Up Next
• A tough test comes next week, as Trinity International will face two nationally-ranked opponents on the road. The Trojans take on #21 Robert Morris on Wednesday night, Jan. 20, before facing No. 2 St. Francis on Saturday night.