BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- The Trinity International University women's basketball team welcomed the Holy Cross College Saints to Van Dixhorn Arena on Wednesday night in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play. In their final home game of the regular season, TIU honored their four senior players while looking to build momentum towards next week's CCAC Tournament.
Trinity got out to a slow start offensively, only scoring one basket in the first three and a half minutes, while the Saints jumped out to a quick lead. Holy Cross' Jayda Miller was able to exploit the holes in the Trojan defense for open layups under the basket as HCC took a 20-15 lead into the second quarter.
In the second, the Saints put the pressure on the Trojans defensively, holding TIU to just 19% shooting from the floor. Shooting over 50% from the floor and 70% from the free throw line, HCC built their lead to as much as 20-point, with TIU going into the halftime break trailing 41-26.
The Trojans suddenly flipped the switch out of the break with Alina Jahkne knocking down a three-point basket to begin the period. Taylor Hibicke followed up Jahkne's three with one of her own just one possession later as TIU's shots began to fall. With Carly Scheblo helping navigate the offense through an HCC team that began to struggle offensively, the Trojans roared back outscoring the Saints 27-9 in the third period to go from down 15 at halftime to up three at the end of the third.
Protecting the ball and keeping up their momentum gained in the third quarter, TIU was able to hold off a late Saints push to secure the home win by a score of 70-65, and end their regular season home schedule with a 9-7 record. The victory also marks the seventh win this season by ten or fewer points.
Jahkne led TIU with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds in the win. Hibicke knocked down five three-point baskets for 19 points and nine boards, while Scheblo recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
With the win, the Trojans are now locked into the seventh-seed for the CCAC Tournament, which will begin on Tuesday, February 25. TIU returns to the floor on Saturday, February 22 for their regular season finale as they visit the Crimson Wave of Calumet College of St. Joseph. A win in their last game of the season would make the Trojans NCCAA postseason eligible.
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.
