ELGIN, Ill. --- The Trinity International University men's basketball team battled the Judson University Eagles on Wednesday night in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) action. Having dropped their last four games, most recently to East-West on Monday night, the Trojans looked to snap their losing streak with a much needed win in nearby Elgin.

TIU focused much of their offense into finding Diamond Presniakovas inside, with their three-point shooting having struggled in the past few games. While finding success inside the paint, the Trojans struggled to maintain possession of the ball, turning the ball over 11 times in the first 20 minutes of play. Thankfully, the TIU defense was able to prevent the Eagles from scoring on several takeaways. At the end of the first half, Judson held the slight edge, leading 30-29.

While the Trojan's shooting greatly improved in the second half, turnovers continued to be an issue for the blue and white. Ten more turnovers cost TIU greatly as the Eagles were able to capitalize on the takeaways with 36 points off turnovers in the second half. Ron Pehka was able to find his shot, shooting four-for-eight from the floor, including a pair of shots from beyond the arc.

The Trojans rallied from as much as 13 points down to tie the game at 56 with just under five minutes to play. A Pehka layup with 3:23 to go gave TIU a four-point lead, but the Eagles finished strong with a 7-2 to end the game, and hand the Trojans the 67-62 loss.

Presniakovas ended the game with a team-high 15 points, plus eight rebounds and five steals. Pehka notched 12 points, six boards and four assists in the loss, while Jeremy Bonifacio recorded nine points and seven boards.

TIU returns to action on Saturday, February 8 as they visit the Roosevelt University Lakers at the Goodman Center in downtown Chicago. Tipoff 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.