MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The Trinity men's basketball team (19-5, 11-2 SAA) is rolling towards the SAA Championships after taking a 73-68 win today against Berry College (9-14, 5-7 SAA). The Tigers managed to eke out a win after solid play from all areas of the floor, despite shooting just 36% from the free-throw line to prevent their lead from growing considerably.

Trinity was efficient from the floor today, hitting 50% of their field goals and 40% of their shots from deep. They grabbed 9 steals to force 13 turnovers, while giving the ball up just 9 times. Their struggles shooting the ball really stemmed from their inability to cash in on the free ones, as they missed 12 of their 19 shots from the charity stripe for a percentage of 36%. The Vikings had a decent shooting game, making 42% of their shots overall and 36% of their threes, and were the exact opposite of the Tigers from the free-throw line, hitting 88% of their foul shots, although shooting only eight. The rebounding edge was almost even, as the Vikings grabbed 37 boards to the Tigers' 36.

Zach Fenn (Covington, La. / Saint Paul's) led the scoring for Trinity with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of 67% (6-9) shooting from the field and 50% (2-4) from three. Will Bronson (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) extended his double-double streak to four games, netting 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal on 60% (6-10) shooting. Four of his boards today come on the offensive glass, as did three of Fenn's. Jackson Lawson (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) contributed 10 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal, shooting 50% (5-10) from two-point range. 

The Rundown 
Today's game was a fight for positioning that saw the Tigers maintain a slim, but firm, advantage throughout. Despite the lead never growing above six, Berry held it only once after the first two minutes of play. Trading buckets all game long, the only continuous streak of momentum came after the Vikings brought the deficit down to one, 15-16, with 12:49 to play. Bronson responded with a strong finish through contact, before a Benjamin Wagner (San Antonio, Texas / Cornerstone) three gave the Tigers a 21-15 lead with 11:05 to go after the quick 5-0 run. That separation would not hold, as Berry fought to remain in it throughout. Both teams continued to trade blows, and the Vikings claimed a 34-33 lead with 2:37 to go after capitalizing on two offensive rebounds and a Trinity turnover. The Tigers responded with a quick 6-0 run to end the half on an 8-2 stretch, taking a 41-36 lead and some much-needed momentum into the break.

The second half saw more of the same back-and-forth action, but the Vikings were simply never able to put together a well-timed run to retake the lead. The gap was extended to eight off a Fenn three with 13:36 to play, making the score 51-43, but Berry hit right back with a 7-0 run to make it a one-point game again just a minute later. The lead stayed small, but always in the Tigers' favor, until a 10-2 Trinity from 7:29 to 5:46 finally put some breathing room into the scoreboard, making the score 67-58. While the Vikings continued to press at the lead, it wasn't enough to bring the game back within striking distance, as they simply could not find the bottom of the net over the final five minutes, making just one of their six field goals over the stretch. The Tigers weren't able to capitalize on Berry's struggles on the other end, but their lead held. With no points scored over the game's final 3:12, Trinity escaped with a 73-68 win.

Looking Ahead
The Tigers will close out the regular season against Southwestern University (12-12, 6-7 SAA) on Feb. 21. They opened their SAA campaign with a convincing 94-74 defeat of the Pirates and will look to for a similar result against a team currently holding some momentum after a four-point loss to a hot Rhodes College followed by two straight victories. The Tigers have long wrapped up a first-round bye in the SAA Championships, beginning on Feb. 26, as they and Rhodes remain head and shoulders above the rest of the conference standings.