DEERFIELD, Ill. — Saturday afternoon the TIU women's basketball program took to their home court for the final game of the season as they honored three members of their program for their contributions throughout their careers. Tipping off against CCAC opponent, the Saints of Holy Cross College, the Trojans fell behind early and couldn't recover, falling to defeat 53-95.

Before the tip, the Trojans took a few moments to recognize three graduating seniors: Hattie Black, Breleigh Gula, and Amber Reynolds. Escorted by loved ones, each of the women were presented with flowers and a framed action shot portrait of themselves, as well as a framed jersey, while their contributions and impact on the program were announced to the crowd.

With emotions riding high, the Trojans struggled from the outset as the Saints opened the quarter with a 13-point run. Senior Hattie Black put Trinity on the board with a jump shot halfway through the frame, followed by the same from freshman Jasmine Smith. With three minutes remaining, sophomore Audree Peck sank a 3-pointer on her way to her fifth career double-double. Just before the quarter break, senior Breleigh Gula cashed in a couple of charity points.

The Trojans entered the second quarter behind 9-19 and would fail to creep any closer to the Saints for the remainder of the game. Peck led the way in the second stanza with six points while Twanasia Graves secured three beneath the net.

Catching a breath of air, the Trojans regrouped and came out stronger in the third quarter as they put up their highest scoring segment of the game with 19 points. Black turned up the offensive pressure, collecting six points and an assist, while Graves continued to have a solid performance, adding another six points en route to a career high 15 tallies. Junior captain Kaiya Albert also contributed five points in the third frame.

As they have all season, the Trojans showed grit and perseverance as they continued to apply defensive pressure in the fourth quarter while grabbing back ten points. Graves and Gula each collected a block, while the team combined for eight defensive rebounds.

Sophomore Audree Peck earned another double-double, securing more rebounds than any other player on the court (12) while putting up 11 points. Freshman Twanasia Graves recorded a career-high 15 points, three steals, and went 5-11 from the field.

With Saturday afternoon's game, the Trojans wrapped up their 2022-2023 campaign with a final record of 4-23 overall, 2-18 in conference.   

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TIU Trojans     TIU Women'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.