NE Indiana News

Trine Takes Care of Business at Hope 56-43

The Trine University men's basketball team took advantage of turnovers by the Hope College Flying Dutch in their 56-43 road victory on Wednesday night. The Thunder scored 22 points on 16 turnovers and held Hope to 33.3% (16-for-48) shooting on their home floor.

The win puts #21 Trine's record at 20-2 overall and the team in 10-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) action. The Flying Dutch fall to 13-9 overall and 7-4 in league play.

The forwards Emmanuel Megnanglo and Brent Cox had back-to-back baskets to start the game for the visitors, but a 9-4 mini-run for Hope allowed them to take the lead. Their time in front was short-lived, as Connor Jones made a pair of free throws to reclaim the lead and Cameron Awls knocked down a three-point field goal to go up 13-9.

After the lead changed hands once more, a dunk by Megnanglo around the halfway point in the first period swung momentum in the direction of the Thunder. A pair of steals by Ryan Preston and Grant Pahl began to deteriorate the Flying Dutch offense to end the first. A 9-0 scoring run highlighted by a three by Megnanglo made it 25-19 Trine, a lead that would remain for the duration of the night. A two-point field goal just before the buzzer ended a nearly seven-minute scoring drought for Hope.

The Flying Dutch were in striking distance for the first few minutes of the second half, but the Thunder would seize control around four minutes in. A pair of free throws by Cox sparked a 9-0 run for the 21st-ranked team in the country and a timeout with 13:20 to go saw the scoreboard at 36-27 Trine.

The break would benefit the Thunder as they scored six more right away. The lead grew all the way to 20 at 48-28 as the Trine defense really tied Hope up in knots. A 11-minute stretch spanning from 17:27 to 6:23 left in the game saw Hope tally just three points. The host institution would creep their way back at 51-37 before head coach Brooks Miller once again utilized a timeout with 4:26 on the clock.

Preston buried a jump shot late in the game and free throws down the stretch by Jones helped to keep the Thunder in front for the 56-43 win. 43 points is the fewest total Hope has seen during a game this season.

Leading Trine in scoring was Cox with 19 points and Jones chipped in with 14 points. Each of them took advantage of trips to the free throw line at 7-for-8 apiece. Megnanglo was a double-digit rebounder with 12 boards, a career-best. Preston led the team with three assists and three steals.

Original source can be found here.