SAN ANTONIO – The 24th-ranked Trinity University men's basketball team suffered a narrow 76-75 Southern Athletic Association loss to Rhodes College (TN) on Friday night.
The Tigers (16-5, 8-2 SAA) were edged by the Lynx (17-3, 8-1 SAA) for the second time this season, with the total margin of victory over the two meetings totaling a mere seven points. Trinity had its five-game winning streak snapped in tonight's loss, which dated back to the last time the two teams played on January 16.
Trinity trailed the entire first half but rallied to take a brief lead near the midway point of the second. The Tigers had a 75-73 lead with just over a minute to play when Rhodes hit the eventual game-winning three-pointer with 33.4 seconds left. Trinity had a shot to regain the lead, but a missed shot and a foul on the rebound with 6.5 seconds put Rhodes on the line for a one-and-one. After the missed free throw, Trinity sprinted the length of the court to try and win it but was unable to get off a final shot.
Trinity shot well overall at just over 47% but the home team hit just 29% (4-of-14) from three-point range, The Tigers were able to convert 21-of-27 (77.8%) at the foul line, but 13 turnovers led to 13 points for Rhodes and the Lynx also held a 13-3 advantage on fast break points. While Trinity had a 42-26 margin in the paint, Rhodes led 27-14 in bench scoring and also shot 43% overall in the game. The Lynx also connected on 10-of-28 from three-point range as well.
Jackson Lawson (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) and
Will Bronson (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) both topped 20 points to lead Trinity in scoring tonight. Lawson nailed 4-of-6 from long range and went 8-for-14 overall from the field on his way to 24 points. Bronson had another solid double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds, adding three blocks, and hitting 10-of-13 from the field and 6-of-9 at the free throw line.
Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) chipped in with eight points, four boards, and a team-best three assists.
The Rundown
Trinity got off to a slow start in the opening period as Rhodes jumped out to a 12-4 lead in less than five minutes of play. Lawson scored eight straight Tiger points shortly after – including back-to-back three-pointers – and the home team was back in the game with a deficit of just 12-10 with just over 14 minutes left. Trinity got no closer the rest of the half, though, as Rhodes used a 7-0 run to take its first double-digit lead of the game just a few minutes later. That lead grew as high as 14 points (33-19) just ahead of the under-eight media timeout. The Tigers were able to keep things close down the stretch and Lawson took over again near the four-minute mark. He scored seven straight Trinity points, then Bronson turned an offensive rebound into a layup of his own to cut the lead to 42-39 with under 90 seconds remaining. Rhodes got the final points of the half on a three-pointer near the one-minute mark and the visitors hit the locker room with a 45-39 advantage.
The two teams traded baskets over the first several minutes of the first half, but Trinity couldn't get the lead down to a one-possession game in the early going. Trailing by seven with 14 minutes left, the Tigers finally got the run they needed. Bronson started the 9-1 stretch with a tip-in layup, then
Gabe Parr (Austin, Texas / Westwood) converted an and-one with under 11 to play to put Trinity in front for the first time in the game at 56-55. The teams traded leads on the next two possessions – including a go-ahead three from Lawson (59-57) – then Rhodes scored seven unanswered to regain control with a 64-59 margin. Trinity scored seven of the next 10 points, though, making it a 67-66 deficit on Balo's layup with under six to go. Rhodes scored two straight baskets to go back up by five, then after trading scores with the Tigers to maintain that lead at 73-68, Trinity rattled off seven unanswered to take the 75-73 lead with just over a minute left. Lawson and Bronson both had layups to start the run, but that lead would not hold as Rhodes was able to sneak away with the win.
Up Next
Trinity will host Millsaps College (MS) in its final regular season home game of the 2025-26 season on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
