CHICAGO – The Trinity men's basketball team fell to 2-1 today with a 57-87 loss to the No. 11 University of Chicago (2-0) on day two of the Midway Classic. The Maroons' three-point shooting made the difference today as the Tigers suffered their first loss under first-year Head Coach Marwan Elrakabaway after a top-5 win the previous day.

Dylan Walker (Highland Park, Texas / Highland Park) has emerged as the Tigers' primary scoring option so far this season, leading the team in points in every game so far. The team needed his shotmaking ability today as they struggled to get anyone else going offensively. Walker scored 19 points, a career high, on 53.8% shooting (7-13), including 50% from beyond the arc (5-10). Zach Fenn (Covington, La. / Saint Paul's) was, as usual, the Tigers' defensive stalwart, grabbing 4 steals to help force 12 Chicago turnovers.

The Maroons dominated the scoring column thanks in large part to their huge lead in shot volume. While only shooting a slightly better percentage from the field than the Tigers (49% vs 43%), the Maroons put up significantly more shots, taking 67 to Trinity's 49. Chicago took — and made — a large percentage of their shots from three, a key to the large gap on the scoreboard today. The Maroons shot 45% from deep (18-40), attempting 60% of all shots from beyond the arc. With three players scoring 15+ points, their scoring onslaught was simply too much for the Tigers to handle.

The Rundown 
Two minutes into the game, a Walker dunk tied the score at two apiece. It would be the last time the Maroons didn't hold a lead. Trinity kept things close through about the halfway mark in the period, when the lead was just one with 11 minutes to go. Then, the Chicago three-point machine turned on. Over the next six minutes, they scored 22 unanswered points and created a big lead they would never relinquish. Thanks to the Maroons' offensive rebounding and efficiency from deep, they had only two empty possessions during that period. After ending the Chicago run, the Tigers were able to match their attack somewhat but would never bring the score back within striking distance, and the half ended with the Maroons up 50-23.

Chicago came out of the gate hot with an 11-1 run in the first three minutes of the second half. Their lead grew to as much as 38 with 12:16 left to play as shots continued to fall for the Maroons. To their credit, the Tigers' scoring picked up in the second half, shooting 50% (11-22), but it was the rebounding edge that made all the difference. Chicago grabbed 20 rebounds, including 9 offensive rebounds, while Trinity grabbed only 6 total. Even with Trinity's edge in second-half shooting percentage and turnovers, the first-half lead was too much to overcome. The final buzzer marked a Chicago win by a score of 87-57.

Looking Ahead
The Tigers will head to Washington, PA, next weekend, Nov. 21-22, for the Great Lakes Invitational hosted by Washington & Jefferson College. They will take on Marietta College (4-0) and Case Western Reserve University (3-1).