Box Score PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - After suffering defeats in their last three CCAC contests the TIU Men's Basketball team got a much needed conference win, defeating Trinity Christian 79-71 on Saturday afternoon.

"I thought our focus and defensive effort was the best its been in a while tonight," said Head Coach Boomer Roberts. "We fell behind early, but we hung in there with our defense, and the Jeremy hit some big shots that really got us going. Our bigs were tough on the glass and in the paint, and we weathered some impressive runs by TCC."

It was the Trolls who came out of the gates quickly on Saturday, jumping out to a quick 12-2 lead in the first 4:30 of the opening half. After a slow start from TIU the Trojans started to find their groove offensively throughout the remainder of the half. A 13-2 run by the Trojans with 3:40 left in the half would give TIU some breathing room heading into the halftime break, leading 35-24.

A strong second half performance that saw the Trojans lead from wire to wire helped seal the victory for TIU. TCC would tally 47 points in the final frame, but some big shots from Greg Carlyle and and Jeremy Carlyle combined with steady defense, sent the Trojans to their 7th CCAC victory.

"We expected a close game, and Greg.Tye and T.J. each had some clutch moments for us," added Roberts. "I'm happy for our guys because we've had some really good practices lately, and because were learning how to compete with focus for longer stretches of time. Our focus paid off tonight and helped us get a much needed conference win."

The Trojans look to make it two wins in a row as they return home Wednesday to take on St. Francis inside the Van Dixhorn Arena at 7 PM.