WHITING, Ind.—Conference play begins with a win for the TIU Men's Basketball team, defeating Calumet College of Saint Joseph (CCSJ) 77-69 after a second-half comeback.

The first half began with a solid three-pointer from O'Shae Williams assisted by Jeremy Carlyle to start off a Trojan lead.

The team held on to this lead for nearly the whole first half, but with just under four minutes left in the half, the Crimson Wave narrowly took the lead for the rest of the half. Thadeous Johnson dominated the boards, retrieving eight rebounds just in the first half alone.

TIU was down 33-30 to start off the second half, but the Trojans came out strong. Within six seconds, Williams scored another three-point shot yet again assisted by Carlyle

CCSJ never regained the lead, which was capped off by a three-pointer from Tyrone Carey to make the lead a game-high 17 point differential. In the second half alone, Carey scored an impressive 17 points. Carlyle also added two assists and two steals in the second half.

In the second half, the Trojans shot for 56% on two-point field goals and and 61% on three pointers, while holding the Crimson Wave down to just 38% on two-point field goals and only 18% on three-pointers.

Carey posted a team-high 24 points, while Williams added 18 points of his own.

"We beat a very tough and physical team on the road tonight, and I'm proud of the way our guys battled tonight," said Head Coach Boomer Roberts. "We weren't in sync most of the night but our defensive effort kept us in it," added Roberts. "We are pretty banged up in a few key spots, but our guys stepped up and competed together which you need to win on the road."

The Trojans look to add another conference win to their record, as they travel to Indiana this Saturday, November 18, to battle with Indiana University-South Bend.