Jackson, MISSISSIPPI – The Trinity men's basketball team (12-4, 4-1 SAA) bounced back today with a 73-69 win on the road against Millsaps College (11-5, 2-3 SAA). After building up a big lead in the second half, the Tigers warded off a storming Millsaps team in the final minutes to escape with the win.
 
The two teams were evenly matched in about every statistical category. The Tigers shot 43% from the field and 26% from three, while the Majors shot 40% from the field and 30% from three. The one large discrepancy was at the free-throw line, where Trinity shot 82%, with 18 makes, and Millsaps shot just 60%, with only 9 makes. The Tigers' ability to get to the line and knock down the free ones was a key factor in today's win. The two teams were also relatively even in the rebounding battle, where Trinity edged out Millsaps 39-35.
 
School Record for Zach Fenn
 
Zach Fenn had a historic outing, nearly recording a quadruple-double with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block and a school-record breaking 9 steals. Fenn's tenacity on defense earned him ownership of a record that hasn't been broken since 1993, when Jonathan McNulty grabbed 8 steals against St. Mary's. Trinity's all-time steals leader now has 68 steals on the year, just 9 shy of breaking Charles Houston's 2008-09 single-season record.
 
Jackson Lawson led the Tigers with 15 points on 46% (5-11) shooting. Dean Balo recorded 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists on 38% (3-8) shooting. Will Bronson had 10 points and his usual night down low, with 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, on 50% (4-8) shooting.
 
The Rundown
 
Millsaps built up a small lead early, taking an 11-5 lead with 16:22 to play as Trinity struggled with turnovers in the first few minutes. The Tigers fought back to take their first lead of the game, 16-15, off a Fenn three-pointer with 12:34 to go. It was a back-and-forth battle over the next few minutes, but the Tigers began to pull away midway through the period, when the lead remained at one, with Trinity up 20-19 with 10:34 to play. Over the next four and a half minutes, the Tigers grabbed 3 steals and forced 5 turnovers en route to a 9-1 run to take a 29-20 lead with 5:51 to play. The Majors would not go away easily, however, as they responded with a 7-0 run of their own to bring things back within reach, 27-29 with 3:55 remaining. Neither team could get much going over the final minutes of the half, but the Tigers were able to score the last 4 points of the period to take a 33-27 lead heading into the break.
 
It was all Trinity coming out of halftime. The Majors struck first, bringing the game within one score, 35-32, with 18:51 remaining, but the Tigers turned it on in a big way with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes, grabbing 3 steals and forcing 4 straight Millsaps misses to establish a 46-32 lead with 15:42 to go. Trinity continued to assert its dominance, taking the largest lead of the game when a Balo three-pointer found the bottom of the net to make it 54-38 with 12:45 to play. The lead dipped below double-digits only once until the game clock read five minutes remaining, when the Majors fought back to make it 51-59. A Millsaps three brought the game to within 5 points two minutes later, but the Tigers' lead continued to hold, as they still enjoyed a 66-58 lead with just 41 seconds remaining. As the Majors began to intentionally foul in the final minute, they found significant success from the field and began to fight their way back into the game. With 8 seconds left, a Millsaps three-pointer brought the game to within two possessions, 67-71. Trinity's knockdown shooting from the charity strike, however, going 10-12 in the final minute, would not allow the Majors back into the lead, as the Tigers escaped with a 73-69 win.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers will head home to take on Sewanee (8-8, 4-1 SAA) on Jan. 23, and Centre (8-7, 1-4 SAA) on Jan. 24. Trinity is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the SAA with Sewanee and Rhodes College.