SAN ANTONIO – The No. 24 Trinity men's basketball team (17-5, 8-3 SAA) defeated Millsaps College (12-9, 3-7 SAA), 79-64, in a lopsided matchup that saw the Tigers completely shut down the Millsaps offense in the second half.
The Tigers massively outshot Millsaps today, making 48% of their shots to the Majors' 32%. For Millsaps, that number dipped to just 25% in the second half, while Trinity cashed in on 52% of their shots in the period. Neither team shot the ball particularly well from three, as the Tigers shot 29% and Millsaps shot 31% from beyond the arc. Both teams had trouble holding onto the ball, but it was Trinity who was able to capitalize on Millsaps' mistakes. The Tigers forced 18 turnovers, converting those into 28 points on the other end. While the Majors were able to force 17 turnovers, they turned those into just 5 points. Millsaps took a slight lead in the rebounding column, grabbing 40 rebounds to the Tigers' 38.
The Tigers had four players in double-digits tonight, led by
Joshua Chesney's (Corpus Christi, Texas / London) career-high 15 points, to go along with 2 rebounds and 1 block on 63% (5-8) shooting in his first career start.
Dean Balo (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals on 50% (5-10) shooting from the field and from deep (3-6).
Will Bronson (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit) recorded his ninth double-double over the last 11 games, contributing 13 points, 10 rebounds (4 of them offensive), 1 block and 1 steal on 60% (6-10) shooting. Off the bench,
Jackson Lawson (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) tallied 13 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal on 60% (6-10) shooting.
The Rundown
Millsaps jumped out to a slight early lead, taking a 12-7 advantage with 16:10 to play as the Tigers had some trouble making the most of their possessions. Trinity was able to keep that lead from slipping away, however, as they responded immediately with a Balo fast break three, and began trading buckets with the Majors over the next nine minutes. Between that bucket and the seven-minute mark, there were five ties and two lead changes, as neither team seemed able to pull away. With 7:20 to play, Millsaps still held a slim 22-20 lead. Trinity's offense, not yet having found its usual groove, began to roar to life with a 10-0 run that saw the Tigers convert on all four of their field goal attempts, building a 30-22 lead with 4:51 to go. The Majors were unwilling to let the momentum build any longer, battling back to a two-possession deficit over the next three minutes, 33-37 with 1:37 to play. That's where the lead would stay, as Trinity took a 39-35 lead heading into the break.
The first six and a half minutes of the second half saw more of the same back-and-forth attacks that had characterized the first. Both teams continued to respond to each other on the offensive end, and Millsaps managed to whittle the lead down to three, down 42-45 with 16:34 to play. After a short 5-0 run by the Tigers and another response by the Majors, it was still 50-45 in favor of Trinity with 13:36 to play. The close game that played out when these two teams met in January seemed to be on tap once again, until the lockdown Tiger defense decided to show its claws once again. Over the final 13 minutes of play, Millsaps could manage just 5 total field goals. Trinity, on the other hand, had no problem finding the bottom of the net, breaking the game open with a 20-5 run over the next six minutes. With 6:29 to play, the lead had become 70-50, seemingly out of nowhere. The red-hot Tigers began to cool off somewhat, but the gap on the scoreboard was going nowhere. Unable to find a spark on offense, the Majors could only manage to take a small piece out of their deficit, and Trinity emerged with a 79-64 rout.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will head on the road for their final three conference games, kicking things off with a matchup at Oglethorpe University (6-14, 3-6 SAA) on Feb. 13, before taking on Berry College (8-12, 4-5 SAA) on Feb. 15.
