GARY, Ind. --- The Trinity International University men's basketball team began their two-game road trip on Wednesday night as they visited the Redhawks of Indiana University Northwest at the Savannah Center. Riding a five-game losing streak and looking to get back to their winning ways, the Trojans also looked to split the season series with their Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) opponent dropping their first matchup of the year at home in November by a score of 100-86.

After falling behind by as much as eight-points in the first five minutes of play, TIU roared back with shots from Steven Jenkins and Diamond Presniakovas to pull the game to within one. The Redhawks found great success in the game of grabbing the offensive rebounds after missed shots, scoring 25 total points in the game off of 26 offensive boards. With IU-Northwest attacking from both inside the paint and from beyond the arc, the Redhawks opened up an 18-point lead before Jeremy Bonifacio put together a solid first half of the bench to cut the deficit to 10, trailing 37-27 at half.

Out of the halftime break, the Trojans stayed resilient in the face of the high-shot shooting Redhawks. Thadeous Johnson began to find more open looks inside, while Ron Pehka found his groove in his three-point shot. TIU was able to cut the lead down to as much as six-points with ten minutes to go, but the IU-Northwest offense quickly kicked back in, particularly from distance, hitting seven shots from beyond the arc in the final ten minutes. TIU committed 17 turnovers and were held to 39% shooting on the night as the Redhawks roared past the finish line offensive to hand TIU the 94-64 loss.

Bonifacio recorded a career-high 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss to lead the Trojans. Presniakovas recorded 11 points and two boards, while Johnson notched 10 points and five rebounds. Pehka was held to just six points on a two-for-eight shooting performance from beyond the arc.

The Trojans return to action on Saturday, January 25 as they visit the Robert Morris Eagles in nearby Arlington Heights. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00PM.

Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness and lifelong learning.