Xavier Cooper and Brandon Lawani defending
77
Trinity International TRINITY 3-2, 1-0
83
Winner Taylor TAYLOR 3-2
Trinity International TRINITY
3-2, 1-0
77
Final
83
Taylor TAYLOR
3-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Trinity International TRINITY 43 34 77
Taylor TAYLOR 39 44 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Danielle Moritz

Trojans struggle to overcome late run by Taylor, fall 77-83

UPLAND, Ind.— Last night TIU took to the highway for a non-conference battle with the Trojans of Taylor University but unfortunately, their explosive offense met its match as they fell in a close contest, 77-83.

Trinity took an early 8-5 lead following back to back 3-pointers from Brandon Lawani in the opening two minutes. Shortly thereafter, Xavier Cooper and Jaden Thomas joined the club with buckets from the perimeter as well, giving TIU a four point lead. The middle of the half saw multiple lead changes as the teams jockeyed for a substantial lead that never materialized. Diamond Presniakovas came in from the bench to sink a jumper and later add a trey of his own with about ten minutes remaining to take the lead. At the break, Trinity held a narrow lead 43-39 following a ten point performance from Cooper.

From the intermission, the Trojan offense slowed as Taylor went on a ten point run. Trinity pushed back and within five minutes equalized the score again following a short run of their own, initiated by Cooper and book ended by sophomore Kyonte Thomas as both grabbed three from the arc. Despite the momentum, Trinity fell behind as Taylor surged to their largest lead of the game after a 12-point run. With seven minutes remaining, TIU began to chip away at the deficit as the Taylor Trojans continued to push forward. In spite of TIU's fight and fast paced recovery, they were unable to fully close the gap and lost by six, going out in style with a dunk from Jaden Thomas.

Continuing to come through with big numbers, Xavier Cooper earned his fourth double-double of the season, and second in as many games (21 points, 12 rebounds) while shooting .667 from beyond the arc and .833 from the charity line. Brandon Lawani added 14 points, his season high as he shot perfect from the free throw line and 2-for-3 from the perimeter. Three other Trojans landed double-digit figures on the scoreboard as the scoring effort was shared among the starters and bench, as 25 points were added from the latter.

The Trojans are on the road again this weekend as they head downtown to square off with the Lakers of Roosevelt University in another CCAC battle. Tip off is set for 3:00pm on Saturday, November 19.

 

TIU Trojans

 

 

TIU Men's Basketball

 

 

 

 

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.
 
Print Friendly Version