DAVENPORT, Iowa - Overcoming a 16-point first-half deficit, the host St. Ambrose Bees tied the score with less than seven minutes to play, before No. 13 Trinity International rallied to secure their ninth straight win on the road, 104-94.
Box Score | Season Stats
Senior
Grant Corsi finished with a team-high 21 points, leading the Trojans (23-4, 16-2 CCAC) in scoring for the first time since matching up with the Bees earlier this season on Jan. 3.
"Coming away with a win at St. Ambrose is one of the hardest things to do in our league, so we're pumped," said TIU head coach
Boomer Roberts. "We went deep into our bench and the 13 guys all played really hard. Grant was the best player on the floor tonight, making big play after big play, and proved he's one of the best players in the league."
Five players in all reached double figures for Trinity, as
Jeremy Carlyle posted 15 points and senior
Zach Kirschbaum picked up his 20th double-double of the year despite foul trouble with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Luke Mead and freshman center
Rick Wright each came off the bench for 10 points, a career high for Wright.
A 12-4 run late in the first half helped to give Trinity their largest lead of the night, 53-37 at the 1:47 mark following a jumper from Wright. The Bees (8-17, 5-12 CCAC) responded with the final six points of the first half, and chipped away throughout the second to finally tie the game at 77-77 with 6:38 left to play.
A layup from Corsi put the Trojans back in front, hitting the free throw after drawing the foul on the made basket. After pulling even, the Bees were unable to hit another field goal for nearly two and a half minutes, allowing Trinity to pull ahead 87-79 on a
Henry French free throw. "We shot 54% and held them to 43%, which is a great recipe for winning on the road," said Roberts.
The Trojans would hit their final field goal with 3:23 still to play, but still had plenty of opportunities to hold the lead, going 13-for-17 from the free throw line the rest of the way to secure the win.
The 13th-ranked Trojans return to Van Dixhorn Arena one final time in the regular season, when they play host to the Cardinal Stritch Wolves this Saturday, February 11. "I'm really excited for Saturday, because we have some special seniors who have literally lifted our program to new heights," said Roberts on the six players who will be honored before the game. Tipoff on Senior Day is set for 3:00 p.m.
