CHICAGO, Ill. - Trinity International struggled to find their shot all night, as the 6th-seeded Trojans fell behind early, ultimately dropping the opening round of the CCAC Tournament to the No. 3 seed St. Xavier Cougars, 88-67.

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Zach Kirschbaum led the way with 15 points on the night, as three players in all finished with double figures for the Trojans (19-12). Grant Corsi collected ten points, while Luke Mead came off the bench to score 11, including the first seven points for Trinity.

The shooting woes began right away for TIU, who missed their first eight attempts from the field. The Cougars (19-11) jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Mead's layup at the 16:26 mark put the Trojans on the board.

A quick four-point rally midway through the first half, from a Thomas Amrine layup and a pair of Greg Carlyle free throws, was quickly answered by one of St. Xavier's seven first-half three-pointers. Another 4-0 run with 8:52 left in the period was followed by six straight from the home team, as the Cougars were able to keep Trinity from chipping away at the deficit.

Despite shooting better after the halftime break, TIU were unable to get back in the game, as St. Xavier maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Corsi led the Trojan offense, scoring all ten of his points in the second half.

With the loss, the Trojans are knocked out of the CCAC Tournament, and are out of the running for a spot in the NAIA Tournament. Any potential NCCAA tournament appearances will be announced at a later time.