LINCOLN, Ill. --- After a season opening win last Wednesday over Lincoln College, the TIU men's basketball team returned to central Illinois to face the Lincoln Christian Lions in their final non-conference game before beginning Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play later this week.

The Trojans and Lions wrestled over control of the lead early, fighting to establish a strong presence inside the paint. After Brandon McQueen tied the game at 16 a piece with 10:08 to go in the first half, Brandon Lawani gave Trinity the lead with a pair of free throws, and the Trojans never again relinquished control. Aided by several Lion turnovers and excellent transition offense, the Trojans were able to build their lead to double-digits and earn their way to the free throw line as LCU put themselves over the foul limit. Heading into the break, the Trojans maintained a 39-28 lead.

The TIU offense came out of halftime firing on all cylinders with a dominant 21-4 run in the first four and a half minutes of the second half. The Trojans found easy lanes to the basket and were able to finish several possessions with dunks, and were also able to improve their three-point shooting from the first half, with eight total buckets from beyond the arc from McQueen, Deandre Raggs, Mike McKay, Jack Kahoun and Johnathan Johansson. Despite putting the Lions in the bonus midway through the period, the Trojans were able to ride their momentum to the final horn for an impressive 97-74 win to move to 2-0 on the season.

McQueen led the night with a game-high 23 points, along with three three-point field goals and six steals. David Forrest's inside dominance earned him 18 points, six rebounds and a game-high four assists. Lawani notched 16 points and six boards in the win, while Raggs posted a game-high eight rebounds. Johansson and Kahoun each finished with six points with two made three-pointers each.

ADDITIONAL GAME NOTES

• Trinity moves to 4-0 all-time against the Lions. The 23-point win is the second largest margin of victory over LCU in the series, after the first meeting that saw TIU win by 30, 109-79 on Nov. 14, 2015.

• With the victory, the Trojans begin the year 2-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, which was capped with a 20-14 record and NCCAA Tournament appearance.

• The 23-point margin of victory for Trinity is the largest in a game since the Trojans defeated Calumet College of St. Joseph by 41 points on Jan. 26, 2019 by a score of 86-45.

• TIU's 58 second half points are the most the Trojans have scored in a single half since the putting up 61 points against Lincoln Christian on Dec. 18, 2018

• Brandon Lawani's 23 points are the third most he's scored in a single game in his career, and the most scored as a Trojan. Lawani's career-high came on Dec. 4, 2018 with 27 points against Asbury (Ky.) while playing at Cincinnati Christian.

• TIU outscored LCU 26-9 off of turnovers. The Lions committed 21 turnovers with the Trojans being responsible for 12 steals.

• This is the second time a Greg Miller led team has started 2-0. Miller's 2018-19 team at Cincinnati Christian also began the season winning their first two games.

• The Trojans are now 6-5 in the previous 11 seasons coming off the first game of the season.

UP NEXT

The Trojans (2-0) will return to action this Wednesday, January 6 as they travel to Bourbonnais to take on the defending CCAC regular season champion Olivet Nazarene Tigers in their conference opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm and can be watched live on the ONU Tiger Sports Network.

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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.