DANVILLE, Ky. –  The Trinity men's basketball team (16-4, 8-1 SAA) won their fifth straight today, 103-88, against Centre College (9-10, 2-7 SAA). The Tigers have been on a roll as of late, and after another undefeated weekend, they aren't looking to slow down.

Trinity had another huge night from the field, making 61% of their shots overall and 50% of their threes. They also drained 87% of their free throws, putting on a scoring clinic that the Colonels couldn't keep up with. Centre also shot the ball well, hitting 49% of their shots overall and 44% of their threes. With 10 offensive rebounds and 13 forced turnovers, the Colonels were able to put up a whopping 18 more shots on the day, but the Tigers' shot-making was simply too much to handle. 

The Tigers put all five starters in double-digits today, led by Will Bronson's (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 100% (7-7) shooting. Ben Estis (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) had 18 points, 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal on 80% (4-5) shooting from the field and 100% (2-2) from three. Jackson Lawson (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) recorded 16 points and 3 rebounds on 55% (6-11) shooting. Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) tabbed 12 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals on 57% (4-7) shooting from the field and 67% (2-3) from three. Zach Fenn (Covington, La. / Saint Paul's), now Trinity's single-season steals record holder, recorded 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on 43% (3-7) shooting from the field and 40% (2-5) from three.

The Rundown
Centre came out hot from beyond the arc, making their first two from deep to take a quick 6-2 lead with 18:48 to go. The Tigers responded with authority, going on a 15-0 run in which Estis and Fenn combined for 13 on a flurry of three-pointers to grab a 17-6 lead, still with 15:12 to play. That early run proved the decider, as it gave Trinity a lead they would never relinquish. The Colonels battled back, bringing the lead back within single digits, down 16-25 with 12:17 to go, but the Tigers responded with another run to put the game out of reach. They scored 8 unanswered points over the next minute, taking a 33-16 lead with 11:13 to play. That's about where the lead would stay until the final minutes of the half, when the Centre offense came back to life with a 16-5 run over the final 3:30 of the period. Heading into the break, the Tigers held a 53-46 lead.

The Colonels continued whittling down the lead in the second half. Converting on their first three shots from the field, they brought it down to a one-possession game, down 53-56 with 18:08 to go. That's as small as the deficit would get, however, as the Tigers responded with a 14-5 run to retake their double-digit lead, up 70-58 with 13:18. The lead would never again get below eight, as the Tigers' 65% second half field goal percentage was too much to handle for Centre. The dagger in the heart of any Colonel fan hoping for a win was the Tigers converting on their last six free throws over the final 1:30, claiming a 103-88 win that seemed to be over from the game's first five minutes.

Looking Ahead
The Tigers will head home to face Rhodes College (16-3, 7-1 SAA) and Millsaps College (11-8, 2-6 SAA) on Feb. 6 and 8. The Lynx of Rhodes gave Trinity their only conference loss of the season on Jan. 16, which the Tigers will be looking to avenge this weekend. It will also mark the final regular season home games of the year for the Tigers.