Box Score HUNTINGTON, Ind. - In the first game of the Ness Brothers Hall of Fame Tournament hosted by Huntington University, the TIU Men's Basketball opened the weekend with a victory, defeating Clarke University 95-91 on Friday evening.

In a back and forth game all evening long, strong play from Tyrone Carey and Thadeous Johnson down the stretch pushed the Trojans to their third victory of the season.

With TIU up 52-49 at the beginning of the second half, Clarke used a strong second half effort, including a 12-0 run midway through the period to give the Pride a 67-66 lead. 

The Trojans continued to keep pace with the Pride throughout the half with neither side able to grab more then a 4 point lead. After a few late Trojan turnovers and CU baskets, TIU found themselves down by five inside of the final five minutes in the game. 

The heroics of Carey and Johnson brought the Trojans right back as Johnson buried two three point baskets while Carey added a pair of jumpers to give TIU the lead 85-83.

The Pride would not go down without a fight late in the half as Clarke cut the lead to just two, but clutch free throws from Carey and Johnson in the final minutes sealed the Trojan victory 95-91.

"We put ourselves in a tough situation with our inconsistency defensively," said Head Coach Boomer Roberts. "But it was great to see our toughness come out down the stretch. We were down a handful with five minutes to go, and we hung in there and trusted each other."

"TJ made some big plays on both ends, and Ty was fantastic on offense. We're trying to grow everyday, and I am excited to see how we respond tomorrow," added Roberts.

With the win the Trojans have advanced to the championship game of the Ness Brothers Hall of Fame Tournament where TIU will take on Huntington University on Saturday at 2 pm.