WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Trinity men's basketball team bounced back today against Marietta College on day 1 of the Great Lakes Invitational. The Tigers battled back from a 19-point deficit to take the win over the Pioneers in OT, 86-81.
Dylan Walker (Highland Park, Texas / Highland Park) was instrumental in the Tigers' win, posting a career-high 33 points on 50% shooting (13-26), along with 5 rebounds. He has led Trinity in points in all four games so far this season.
Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and a career high 11 rebounds.
Will Bronson (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit ) recorded his second double-double this season with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, along with 3 blocks.
Zach Fenn was, as always, a terror on the defensive end with 6 steals. Through four games, he's averaging almost five steals a game.
The difference in the turnover battle made the difference for the Tigers in their win today. They forced 25 turnovers while giving up only 16. Elijah Harden, the Pioneers' leading scorer, accounted for 27 points but gave the ball up 9 times. Nearly half of Trinity's points came off turnovers, cashing in for 39 points off Marietta's mistakes.
The Rundown
The battle remained tight throughout much of the first half as the two teams traded buckets back and forth. Midway through the period, however, the Tigers started to struggle from the field and Marietta began to pull away. From 8:41 to 2:39, the Pioneers went on a 17-4 run to open up a 19-point lead. The Tigers committed 5 turnovers and missed 4 shots during that run as offensive struggles plagued the team. They were able to bring the lead to 14 by the end of the half, but the Pioneers held a firm 42-28 lead going into the final period.
The Tigers shot 33% (12-36) from the field in the first, including just 9% (1-11) from three. Marietta shot 47% (16-34) from the field and 40% (6-15) from three.
The Tigers came out of the gates hot, scoring nine unanswered points to begin the second half. With the tide of momentum having shifted their way, they continued to battle back and, with 11:05 left to go, took their first lead since the first minutes of the game. Walker's scoring was a key for Trinity to get back into the game, scoring 13 points in the first 10 minutes of the half to put his team back in front. The final 10 minutes of the game were an elaborate dance of lead changes between the two teams, with neither side able to create a meaningful gap on the scoreboard. With 24 seconds left and the score tied at 69, Bronson cashed in on a layup to put the Tigers ahead. As the seconds ticked down on the Pioneers' final possession, Fenn blocked a final shot to seemingly seal the deal, but Marietta came down with the offensive rebound and called a timeout to reset with 11 seconds left on the game clock. Out of the timeout, the Pioneers missed on an open mid-range shot but were able to corral the rebound again, and amid the final chaos, the whistle blew to send Harden to the line with two seconds left and the game on the line. With pressure mounting, he knocked down both free throws to send the game to overtime, tied at 71.
The Pioneers led early in overtime, but turnovers, or Fenn, rather, haunted them while the Tigers' momentum from the field continued. Trinity converted on 67% (4-6) of its shots in the overtime period, including 67% (2-3) from three-point range. After a 30-point loss last weekend and an early 19-point deficit, the Tigers had battled all the way back to take an 86-81 win over Marietta.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will cap off the Great Lakes Invitational tomorrow, Nov. 22, against Case Western Reserve University (3-1).
