PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - Junior center Zach Kirschbaum led the way with 16 points, as Trinity International cruised to a road victory at Trinity Christian, 73-64 on Saturday afternoon.

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Kirschbaum finished with his fifth double-double as a Trojan, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds in the win. Luke Mead came off the bench to score double figures, tallying 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting, and a 7-of-9 performance from the free throw line. In all, a balanced attack saw seven players finish with seven or more points for the Trojans.

Trinity Christian opened with an early 5-1 advantage, as TCC's Aaron Johnson hit one of his three three-pointers to start the game. The Trojans (10-8, 4-6 CCAC) responded with ten unanswered to claim a lead they would not surrender the rest of the day.

The 64 points given up by the Trojan defense is a season low, as TIU held the Trolls (5-11, 0-9 CCAC) to a .383 shooting percentage while forcing 18 turnovers. "I'm really pleased with the way we guarded tonight," said head coach Boomer Roberts. "Coach [Jason] Irwin did a very good job preparing our guys for a TCC team that is much better than their record indicates."

The Trojans led by as much as 12 points in the first half, when James Glass scored two of his eight points with 4:40 on the clock to give TIU a 26-14 advantage. Coming out of the halftime break the Trojans were in front 31-20, then opened the second half with a Thomas Amrine three-pointer, as part of a quick 5-0 rally. Trinity would take their biggest lead of the night midway through the second half, with Henry French's fast-break layup at the 7:45 mark to make it a 57-34 lead.

"Zach controlled the paint once again, and we made enough plays on the offensive end to stay in front," said Roberts. "Donald Watkins and Greg Carlyle  both played the best games of their college careers, and we're going to need that from them on a consistent basis."

The win also marks the second straight for the Trojans, who are in the middle of a four-game, eight-day stretch. "I'm very proud of the way we approached these past ten days, and it showed in the way we played this week. We've got to keep getting better, but our guys are excited and hungry to keep moving forward."

The Trojans hit the road for a non-conference matchup against Illinois Tech on Tuesday, January 12. Tipoff against the Scarlet Hawks is set for 7:00 p.m.