MILWAUKEE, Wisc. --- Last weekend, the TIU men's basketball team picked up their first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) win of the season at home. Trinity looked to make it two in a row on Tuesday night in their final game before the Thanksgiving holiday as they visited Milwaukee to take on the Cardinal Stritch Wolves.

The Trojan offense would struggle out of the gate, falling behind by 11 points in the first six minutes of the first half before a stifling defensive effort helped Trinity back into the game. TIU forced 12 first half turnovers with eight steals, earning 17 trips to the free throw line thanks to CSU foul trouble early. The Trojans would go into the halftime break with a narrow 41-36 lead.

Brandon McQueen took over the second half with an impressive 70% shooting half, including five made three-point baskets. Cardinal Stritch would challenge TIU midway through the second period briefly taking the lead before Trinity took back control down the stretch. On a night of smothering defense and clutch shooting from distance, the Trojans would hold off the upset minded Wolves by a final score of 87-81, returning their season record to two games over .500.

McQueen dominated the game with 36 points on seven made three-point shots, as well as a game-high six assists. Sterling Brown scored 18 points and notched five assists in the win, while Jaden Thomas recorded eight points. Leon Williams and Jack Kahoun both posted six points, with Williams notching a game-high 12 rebounds.

ADDITIONAL GAME NOTES

• Trinity picks up their tenth win all-time against Cardinal Stritch on Tuesday, and third consecutive. The Wolves still lead the all-time series 29-10.

• All five of TIU's wins this season have come with at least 80 points scored on offense.

• CSU's 81 points scored were the fewest allowed by the Trojan defense against a conference opponent this season.

• Tuesday night marked the second time in the last three games that the Trinity defense forced 20 or more turnovers. TIU forced 20 on Tuesday in Milwaukee, while forcing 25 at St. Francis (IL) back on Nov. 13.

• TIU outscored the Wolves 21-13 in points off of turnovers.

• Senior Brandon McQueen surpassed 1,200 total points in his career on Tuesday night. McQueen has scored 761 points since joining the Trinity program in 2019, while scoring 472 during his freshman season at Cincinnati Christian.

• McQueen's 36 point performance at CSU was his second 36+ point game this season. The Cleveland, Ohio native scored 37 against Concordia (MI) on Oct. 30 at the Grace Tip-Off Classic. Tuesday also marked the third highest scoring game of McQueen's career. 

• McQueen's seven made three-point baskets tied his career-high, which he set twice as freshman in 2018.

• Through eight games, McQueen leads the CCAC and ranks sixth in the NAIA in scoring per game (24.6 PPG).

• After making three baskets from beyond the arc on Tuesday, Sterling Brown now leads CCAC and ranks in the top 15 in the nation in made three-point shots per game this season (3.6).

• Now averaging 20.5 points per game this season, Brown has scored 18 or more points in six of TIU's eight games in 2021-22.

UP NEXT

The Trojans (5-3) return to action late on Friday afternoon as they take on Central Methodist University (MO) in their first game of the NAIA "The Show" Classic in Kingsport, Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00pm EST at the Meadowview Marriott.
 

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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.