Kirschbaum nets 25 to give Trojans 9th straight win
Box Score MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - In a battle between two of the top three teams in the CCAC North Division, Trinity International lead wire-to-wire in an 81-68 road victory over Cardinal Stritch on Thursday night.
Box Score | Season Stats
Senior forward
Zach Kirschbaum led the Trojans (15-3, 8-1 CCAC) with 25 points in the win, his highest point total in nearly two months.
Henry French finished with 16 points on the night, while
Luke Mead came off the bench to contribute 14.
"I'm really proud of our team for our performance tonight," said TIU head coach
Boomer Roberts after the team's ninth win in a row. "The guys were locked in on a really good scout by Coach Ford, and we beat a very good team on the road tonight. Zach helped us take control early, and we never let up. He was the best player on the floor again."
Trinity came out to an 11-6 lead over the opening four minutes of play, with four points each coming from Kirschbaum and French. The Trojans maintained a single-digit lead throughout the first half, until Mead's three-pointer at the 1:17 mark briefly put the Trojans ahead 40-30.
Kirschbaum took control of the Trojan offense after the halftime break, scoring 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but the Wolves (10-8, 6-2 CCAC) never let Trinity's seven-point halftime lead stretch out of hand. A jumper from Frederik Benzon cut the Trojan lead to four, 45-41 with 16:22 to play, but Stritch were never able to pull even, and
Greg Carlyle's three-pointer at the 5:25 mark helped TIU secure the game, giving the Trojans a 65-54 advantage. Defensively, the Trinity defense allowed just two field goals over the final four and a half minutes to earn the team's 15th win of the season.
"Henry was very good on both ends, and Grant played his best defensive game as a Trojan," Roberts added. "Our second half was one of our better defensive efforts, and I think it shows how we are maturing as a group."
The Trojans return to Van Dixhorn Arena this weekend, when they go for their tenth consecutive victory and host Trinity Christian. Tipoff against the Trolls on January 7 is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
