San Antonio, TEXAS – The Trinity men's basketball team will look to regain some momentum this weekend at the Great Lakes Invitational in Washington, PA. The two-day tournament lasts from Nov. 21-22, and will feature matchups against Marietta College and Case Western Reserve University. 
 
The Tigers split their two games at the Midway Classic this past weekend. In the first game, they bested third-ranked Emory thanks to lockdown defense that forced the Eagles to give up 21 turnovers. The Tigers dropped their next game to the University of Chicago, 57-87. The Maroons rained in from three-point range, shooting over half of their shots from beyond the arc, 45% of which they cashed in. Dylan Walker led the Tigers in scoring in both games, scoring 18 in the first and 19 in the second. Zach Fenn grabbed 10 rebounds across the two games to bolster Trinity's defensive effort.
 
Preview - Great Lakes Invitational & Red Birds
 
On the Marietta Pioneers: Marietta is 4-0 so far on the season, with two wins decided by three points or less. As a team, they've shot an efficient 51% from the field so far this season, including 39% from beyond the arc. The Pioneers have also been a strong defensive team, averaging 8.5 steals per game and forcing 13.5 turnovers per game. They are led by senior guards Elijah Harden and Jake Singleton, who average 26.5 and 23.8 points per game. Singleton also averages 5.8 rebounds and 2 steals per game. The Pioneers hang their hat on high-scoring nights, currently averaging 93 points per game.
 
On the Case Western Spartans: The Spartans are 3-1 so far this season, with their lone loss coming by 10 points against RV Mount Union. They've been strong on the offensive side of the ball this year, averaging 82.8 points per game while shooting 48% from the field and 39% from three. They also rebound the ball very well, so far outrebounding opponents by 11 boards per game. On the defensive end, they've struggled to force turnovers, forcing an average of just 8 while giving up 12.5. Case Western is a well-distributed team offensively, with four players in double-digit scoring averages, although no one averages over 12. Freshman forward Alex Vincent leads the Spartans in scoring with 12 points per game on 71% shooting, along with 6.3 rebounds.
 
On the LaRoche Redhawks: LaRoche is 1-3 so far, having lost to Marietta 86-100 earlier this season. They've scored the ball well thus far, averaging 85.3 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 37% shooting from three. Their record so far looks worse than their team stat sheet, which only shows them with an average point differential of -2.7 per game and even, if not winning, in almost every category. Their only game thus far against a team of Trinity's caliber was an 83-90 season opener loss against Carnegie Mellon. The Redhawks are led by a slew of young talent, namely junior guard Bryce Epps, who is averaging 20.7 points on 48% shooting and 6 rebounds per game, and sophomore guard Logan Golle, averaging 16.7 points on 61% shooting. 
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers will head home to play their first game at Calgaard this season on Nov. 30 against Hardin-Simmons University (4-1).