Diamond Presniakovas jump shot
Berith Han
87
Winner Indiana Northwest INDIANA 12-13, 11-6
65
Trinity International TRINITY 13-11, 8-8
Winner
Indiana Northwest INDIANA
12-13, 11-6
87
Final
65
Trinity International TRINITY
13-11, 8-8
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Indiana Northwest INDIANA 50 37 87
Trinity International TRINITY 31 34 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Ethan Oskroba

Trojans unable to overcome RedHawks’ offensive onslaught

BANNOCKBURN, IL— Typically, it's the Trojans that are used to flying downcourt, generating clean looks, and raining down triples on their opponents. On Wednesday, it was Trinity that was scrambling to parry the attacks of their assailants from the east, as the visiting Indiana University Northwest RedHawks used an explosive offensive output to best the Trojans on their home floor by an 87-65 margin.

The conference rivals were tightly intertwined on the scoreboard throughout the opening minutes of a game that carried significant postseason implications as the pair of mid-pack CCAC powers waged war on the court. The Redhawk offense clicked into gear in the middle portion of the opening stanza, pushing their advantage to a high watermark of 23 points. The visitors' 50-point first half salvo was countered by strong efforts from standout big man Brandon Lawani, who led the way with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting, and dynamic guard Kyonte Thomas, who poured in 10 points while adding three dimes and a pair of steals. When the half concluded, the Trojans trailed by a 50-31 tally.

Trinity made a potent adjustment as they embarked on the second half, and a tweaked defense paid dividends for the hometown squad as the Trojans allowed just two buckets in the first five minutes of the final period. They combined the stifling defense with a measured offensive approach that saw them generate easy looks at the rim on a regular basis, culminating with a layup by Diamond Presniakovas, who led the Trojans' second-half attack with seven points and five boards, that trimmed the Redhawk edge to just 11. Unfortunately, the visitors regained their rhythm shortly thereafter, with a successive and-one and three-pointer ballooning the lead back to 20. Despite a solid closing effort, the Trojans were ultimately overcome by their CCAC foe, suffering defeat by an 87-65 final.

The Trojans were held to a modest offensive total for the second straight contest as they suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since the last time the Redhawks bested them, December 17 of last year. Despite the defeat, Trinity still mustered several solid performances, including those of Lawani (17 points), Thomas (13 points, seven rebounds, six assists), and Presniakovas (11 points, eight rebounds).

The Trojans (13-11, 8-8 CCAC) will take aim at snapping out of their two-game mini-slump when they take on the Redhawks' Hoosier counterpart, the Titans of Indiana University South Bend, on the afternoon on Saturday, February 11, at Van Dixhorn Arena.
 
 
 

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.
 
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