SAN ANTONIO – The No. 24 Trinity men's basketball team (8-2) thumped Saint John's University (4-7) tonight by a score of 102-76, kicking off the Leslie Robinson Classic with a statement win. This marks the first time this season the Tigers have tallied a triple-digit point total.
The Tigers played a masterclass of a game, shooting the ball efficiently, avoiding turnovers and getting the whole squad involved on the box score. They shot 58% from the field and a tremendous 67% from deep. While the Johnnies shot the ball well (48% from the field and 40% from deep), they just couldn't keep pace with Trinity's hot hand. The Tigers turned the ball over just 8 times, a season low, while forcing 15 Saint John's turnovers on 12 steals. Tonight is the fifth game this season that they've recorded double-digit steals as a team. Fifteen different Tigers took part in the scoring barrage, and 10 played double-digit minutes.
Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) paved the way with 18 points in just as many minutes to tie his season-high, 2 rebounds and 4 assists on 60% (6-10) shooting from the field and 60% (3-5) from deep.
Jackson Lawson (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) had 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists on 50% (4-8) shooting from the field and was perfect from deep, making all 3 of his three-pointers.
Will Bronson (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) filled up his stat sheet with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal on 50% shooting (3-6).
Zach Fenn (Covington, La. / Saint Paul's) was a monster on defense, tying his career-high for steals with 7. He is one of only five Tigers in school history to record 7 or more steals and is now the only one to achieve the feat twice.
The Rundown
The first three minutes of the game were, looking back, indicative of the way the final result would later pan out. The Tigers opened up play with 10 straight points, raining in from three early and forcing three Saint John's turnovers in the first 2:20. With 17:13 left to play, the score already stood at 10-0. Just a minute later, Balo's five quick points would make it 17-3. The Johnnies were never able to recuperate fully, and even when they brought the lead back within single digits, quick Trinity runs would put things back out of reach. After having their lead reduced to eight with 11:07 to go, 22-14, the Tigers scored 9 unanswered, once again cashing in from deep, to take a 31-14 lead with 8:35 to go. It was more of the same throughout the rest of the first half, but Saint John's was able to keep things from getting too out of hand, as Trinity took a 45-34 lead heading into the break.
Unfortunately for the Johnnies, things did get out of hand in the second half, and quickly. The Tigers couldn't miss after the break, shooting 69% from the field and an untouchable 73% from three. Early in the half, as Saint John's got the lead back under 10 with 17:37 to play, the Tigers once again responded fervently, scoring 11 straight to stretch the lead to 20 for the first time with 15:31 to go, 61-41. The two-minute run was a short window into the dominance Trinity displayed all night, as Fenn tallied three steals to allow the Johnnies only one shot attempt in four possessions, and the Tigers were perfect from three-point range. The rest of the half was more of the same, and the lead continued to grow. With 4:46 to play, an 11-3 run made the score 93-67, a 26-point lead that would be the largest of the night. It would also be the final margin of victory, as the Tigers closed out the final 2:45 of the game on another 9-0 run, breaking things back open after the Johnnies went on an 8-0 run of their own. The final buzzer sounded to mark a Trinity victory by a score of 102-76.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will continue play in the Leslie Robinson Classic tomorrow against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (8-1). The Pointers held off a late rally from Hardin-Simmons University, whom Trinity holds an eight-point win over from Nov. 30, tonight to take a 65-61 win in their first game of the weekend.
