WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Five Trojans finished in double figures, with senior
Zach Kirschbaum and freshman
Will Davidson leading the way, scoring 15 apiece, in Trinity International's 111-70 win over East-West (Ill.), on day two of the Grace (Ind.) College Lancer Classic.
Box Score
Kirschbaum collected his second double-double in as many days, pulling down 12 rebounds in the win. Davidson pitched in with 15 points, including nine points over the final four minutes, all at the free throw line, as the freshman went 13-for-14 from the charity stripe on the day.
"We were a completely different team today," said TIU head coach
Boomer Roberts, after his team's dominant performance following a close loss on Ffriday night. "Our seniors led the way in warmups and set the tone at the beginning of the game. We played so much harder, especially on the glass. Henry [French], Zach, and Grant [Corsi] were determined to get to the paint from the tip, and our guys fed off that."
The Trojans (1-1) jumped out to a big lead early, as
Greg Carlyle's three-pointer at the 16:03 mark of the first half would give TIU a 13-3 edge. Trinity held a double-digit lead throughout most of the first half, going up by as much as 17 just before the break, when Davidson hit a pair of free throws to make it a 51-34 game. A bucket at the buzzer for East-West would cut the lead back to 51-36 going into halftime.
Trinity's lead would swell throughout the second half, as
T.J. Johnson's fast-break layup put the Trojans head by 20 for the first time with 16:51 to play, 59-39. A six-point run capped by a pair of
Luke Mead free throws extended the advantage to 82-51 at the 8:36 mark. Trinity would reach their largest lead of the night when
Donovan Wells converted from inside the paint with 2:53 remaining, 104-63.
"Each of the three freshmen who played had some big moments, and our bench was pumped the whole time," said Roberts. "There are things we need to improve on, but today was a great response after taking it on the chin yesterday. We're excited to play at home in front of the TIU crowd on Wednesday, and I think we'll bring the same energy we had tonight."
The Trojans make their home debut next Wednesday night, when they host the Clarke (Iowa) Crusaders. Tipoff from Van Dixhorn Arena on November 2 is set for 6:00 p.m.
