San Antonio, TEXAS – The Trinity men's basketball team (11-3, 3-0 SAA) will head on the road this weekend for the first time in SAA competition after a six-game home stand. They will take on Rhodes College (11-3, 2-1 SAA) and Millsaps College (10-4, 1-2 SAA). The Tigers won five of those games at home, including three conference games, all won by a margin of 20 or more points. They currently stand alone as the only undefeated team in SAA competition.
Last time out, a convincing 87-66 win over Berry College, the Tigers were led by
Ben Estis' career-highs of 21 points and 5 assists on 67% (6-9) shooting.
Dean Balo turned in a 15-point night, also shooting 67% (6-9).
Will Bronson logged his seventh double-double of the season, and his third straight, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while tallying 5 blocks as well.
Jackson Lawson also had himself a 12-point scoring night.
The Tigers shot an efficient 50% from the field and 36% from three, and were solid on defense, forcing 18 turnovers while giving up only 13. Their defensive effort was aided in no small part by
Zach Fenn's 4 steal outing, a feat that has become somewhat commonplace for the nation's second leading ball thief, averaging 3.8 steals per game. Trinity also maintained a significant lead on the glass, grabbing 42 rebounds to Berry's 35.
Preview - Rhodes and Millsaps
On the Rhodes College Lynx: The Lynx are fresh off a dominating 70-58 win over preseason SAA favorites Centre College. They outscored Centre 48-28 in the second half, shooting 64% from the field, to secure their second-straight conference win and move to second in the SAA table. This season, they've been strong offensively, outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.1 points per game, and making 45% of their shots from the field and 36% of their shots from three. Their biggest strength is on the defensive end, forcing an average of 15.1 turnovers per game while giving up just 10.8.
Rhodes is led, in the absence of leading scorer Phil Dotson, by senior forward Jackson Huxtable, who averages 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game on 46% shooting. With Dotson out since the Lynx's Jan. 3 loss vs. Millsaps, Huxtable has stepped up in a big way, with two straight nights scoring over 20 points. Junior guard Trevor Lombard has been leading the backcourt, averaging 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
On the Millsaps College Majors: After their SAA-opener win against Rhodes, the Majors find themselves on a two-game skid with losses to Centre and Sewanee, both coming by more than 20 points. In their most recent outing, a 62-84 loss to Sewanee, Millsaps struggled mightily to get anything going offensively, shooting just 33% from the field and 25% from deep. They've been a middle-of-the-road shooting team all year, making 41% of their shots from the field and 32% of their threes. They've been able to just slightly outscore their opponents on average, holding a positive average margin of 2.6 points. Lying about even in most statistical categories, the Majors' wins have been in part attributed to their ability to shunt opponents' shotmaking, as opposing teams have shot just 41% from the field and 28% from deep.
Millsaps is led by their big man down low, junior center Jaxon Toney, who averages 14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on 58% shooting. He's recorded 5 double-doubles so far this season and has scored in the single digits just twice. Junior guard Davion James is the Majors' sole other double-digit point scorer, averaging 12.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
Looking Ahead
Now firmly in the thick of SAA competition, the Tigers will head home to play Sewanee (6-8, 2-1 SAA) and Centre (8-5, 1-2 SAA) on Jan. 23 and 24. With just nine regular-season games to play after this weekend's slate, Trinity will be looking to capitalize on every outing to remain in the hunt for their first conference championship in the SAA.
