BOURBONNAIS, Ill. --- The TIU men's basketball team continued it's 2020-21 postseason run on Thursday night as they visited top-seeded Olivet Nazarene in the quarterfinal round of the CCAC Tournament. After a strong offensive performance at St. Francis in the opening round two nights earlier, the Trojans looked to keep their season alive against the conference's regular season champions.

From the opening tip, the Tigers dominated the game, shooting over 60% from the floor. ONU's speed limited the Trojans attack, forcing TIU to shoot early from range and outside the paint. Trinity also faced a tough defense directly at the net, as the Tigers blocked seven TIU shots on the night. 

Trinity was able to control the offensive rebounding battle in the game, but couldn't capitalize on their 16 offensive boards. Brandon Lawani, Brandon McQueen and Diamond Presniakovas were able to provide the Trojans with much of their offense late in the game, but struggled to keep up with Olivet Nazarene's speed and depth, as TIU fell to the Tigers by a final score of 101-74.

Lawani led the Trojans with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds in the loss, while McQueen scored 21 in the final game of his collegiate career. Presniakovas notched 15 points on a 6-11 shooting night, as Jack Kahoun scored six points on a pair of three-point baskets.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• With tonight's loss, TIU falls to 4-14 all-time against Olivet Nazarene.

• The Trojans have now lost five consecutive games to the Tigers. Their last win over ONU came on Feb. 17, 2018 with a 93-88 win in Bourbonnais.

• ONU dominated the paint, outsourcing the Trojans 50-26.

• The Tiger's 63.1% shooting from the floor was the highest shooting percentage any team has shot against the Trojans this season.

• Trinity ends the season with double-digit wins for the first time since 2018-19, when the Trojans finished 15-15.

• Brandon McQueen ends his collegiate career with 1,036 total points, 276 rebounds, 229 assists, 111 steals and 17 blocks. McQueen played his first two seasons at Cincinnati Christian before transferring to TIU in 2019.
   

The loss ends TIU's 2020-21 campaign after a 10-8 season, and 5-7 mark in league play during a shortened season.

Visit TIUtrojans.com to stay up to date with the latest TIU men's basketball news and updates during the offseason.

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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.