BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- This evening the Trojans faced off against the Maple Leafs of Goshen College from the neighboring Crossroads League in a fast-paced unrelenting battle. Entering the second half, the Trojans lagged behind by two points and ultimately claimed victory by the same, dropping the Leafs 87-85.

From the tip, Trinity took it down the court, as guard Xavier Cooper dropped the layup and the subsequent free throw granted. The Trojans jumped ahead 11-6 after power forward Brandon Lawani secured a rebound then converted with a thrilling slam dunk. Still holding the lead at halfway mark, Trinity led 23-14 as senior guard Monte Lambert added two to the scoreboard. TIU held a 12-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining as the Maple Leafs gained traction, running the scoreboard to tie the game with 3:37 until half. A foul pushed the Trojans ahead after sophomore Kyonte Thomas sank a pair of charity shots, but the Leafs countered with a trey to take a slim lead. The score equalized thrice more before the halftime break with the Trojans coming up short by two points, trailing 40-38.

In the initial five minutes of the half Lawani and Cooper added a pair of threes to the board as the teams traded buckets and knotted the score again at 53-53. The Trojans burst ahead on a short run of eight points, capped by a three-pointer from Thomas on his way to his second-highest scoring game of the season. Breaking up the run, the Maple Leafs dropped a three of their own, with an immediate rebuttal from Cooper with his second trey of the half. With 8:21 remaining Thomas converted his free throws, giving the Trojans a nine point lead. As the clock waned, Goshen closed the gap and came within a single point as 20 seconds showed on the clock. Maintaining possession, the Trojans sank a final free throw from the hands of Jaden Thomas to take a two point lead. With ten seconds remaining, Jaden Thomas again answered the call but this time with a block on a three-point attempt to clinch the non-conference victory.

The Trojans(7-6) take a few days off for the weekend before hitting the road for a pair of road games, first to Milwaukee to take on Cardinal Stritch University in their first of four conference games on January 4, 2023. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30pm.  

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TIU Trojans     TIU Men's Basketball

 

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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.