SAN ANTONIO - No. 23 Tiger Men's Basketball earns a hard-fought 72-69 win over Illinois College 72-69.
The Tigers (6-1) secured the win against Illinois College to kick off the Leslie Robinson Holiday Classic, overcoming a 10-point deficit late in the game.
Jacob Harvey (Huffman, Texas / Hargrave) led the team with 20 points, including five three-pointers, matching his season high.
Jacob Millhouse (Plano, Texas / Independence) delivered a new season-best performance with 15 points, shooting an impressive 4-for-5 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
Christian Green (San Antonio, Texas / Veterans Memorial) also contributed significantly, scoring 12 points and making 8 of 12 free throws. This win marks the Tigers' first-ever matchup against Illinois College, bringing their record to 1-0 in the series.
How It Happened
The Tigers came out strong, with
Jacob Millhouse starting the game by sinking a three-pointer from the left wing to start the game. Two possessions later, he used a screen from
Braxton Barry (Houston, Texas / Westbury Christian) to create space at the top of the key and drilled another triple.
Jacob Harvey followed up with a three-pointer of his own, pushing the Tigers to an early 9-3 lead. Trinity extended their advantage to double digits when Millhouse intercepted a pass and launched a full court pass to
Zach Fenn (Covington, Louisiana / Saint Paul's), who set up
Christian Green for a fast-break layup. However, the Blueboys responded by closing the gap to four points and holding the Tigers scoreless for three minutes. A layup by Illinois College with four minutes left tightened the score even further. Despite the close score,
Ty Williams (Pearland, Texas / Pearland) responded with back-to-back baskets, stretching the lead back to seven. The teams traded points for the remainder of the half, and the Tigers entered the break with a 39-33 advantage.
The Blueboys came out strong in the second half, quickly cutting Trinity's lead to just one point. However,
Christian Green and
Jacob Millhouse combined for six points, putting the Tiger lead back to seven points. After a few missed shots,
Zach Austin (Clarkston, Michigan / Clarkston) entered the game and made an instant impact. He weaved through the Blueboy defense for back-to-back offensive tip-in layups, extending Trinity's lead to nine with 13 minutes remaining. Illinois College answered with a big run, tying the game and eventually taking a 56-53 lead with nine and a half minutes left. The Blueboys continued their momentum, going on a 9-2 run to secure their first double-digit lead with just four minutes remaining in the game.
Every Tiger fan sat in disbelief, hands on their heads, wondering if the game had slipped away. However, Jacob "Captain America" Harvey wasn't ready to surrender. Tightening his shield, Harvey stated, "Tigers…assemble!"
With three and a half minutes left,
Jacob Harvey lit the spark that the Tigers needed. He started with a steal from a Blueboy guard, pulled up from the wing, and nailed a three-pointer, giving Trinity some momentum. Just 20 seconds later, Fenn found Harvey open at the top of the key, and he drained another triple. Then, from the student section, Harvey launched a "heat check" three-pointer and nailed it, tying the game at 65 and sent Tiger fans to their feet
Illinois College briefly regained a three-point lead, but
Christian Green sank two free throws to cut it to one. The next possession, Millhouse knocked down three clutch free throws, giving the Tigers a two-point advantage. The Blueboys made a push in the final moments, but the Tigers stood firm and secured a 72-69 victory.
Up Next
Trinity will take on nationally ranked Wisconsin Lutheran College tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
