UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. – Senior guard
JaToya Woods led Trinity International with 22 points, while junior
Basha Ramsey recorded a double-double in her second game back from injury, as the Trojans secured a non-conference victory over the host Governors State (Ill.) Jaguars, in the first game of 2016 on Saturday afternoon.
Box Score | Season StatsRamsey tallied a season-high 18 points and 13 rebounds in the win, for her fourth career double-double. Meanwhile, Woods also looked dominant on both ends of the floor, grabbing a game-high five steals while dealing out four assists along with leading all scorers.
Despite averaging nearly five three-pointers per game this year, the Trojans hit just a single shot from beyond the arc. Trinity's defense secured the win over the Jaguars (0-18) by holding their opponents to a .247 shooting percentage on the day.
The Trojans (6-7) nearly held a double-digit lead in the first period, when Woods scored five unanswered, and
Rayelle Ross capped a 7-0 run for TIU to put the Trojans in front 20-11 at the 3:20 mark. The Jaguars immediately answered with six straight points of their own, and Trinity would hold a three-point advantage, 23-20 at the end of the first.
Governors State would outscore the Trojans 14-5 over the final three and a half minutes of the second period, to claim a 43-37 halftime lead. The Jaguars would go up by as much as ten, opening the third period on a 6-2 run to lead 49-39.
Ramsey would start the Trojan comeback run with 5:54 remaining in the third, with a layup following the offensive rebound from
Sarina Falvo. The Trojans scored seven straight to cut the deficit down to three, and eventually trimmed the GSU lead to one, on Woods' jumper at the end of the third quarter.
Trinity's defense would keep the Jaguars without a made field goal for nearly seven and a half minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters, fueling the second-half rally. TIU kept the score close but didn't take a lead until
Parris Bryant's layup with 5:49 left on the clock, putting the Trojans ahead 58-57 as part of a 13-1 run that put the game out of reach for the home team.
The Trojans will resume conference play on Tuesday night, when they travel to St. Ambrose for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.