Houston, TEXAS — The Trinity men's basketball team is moving on to the second round after a 71-63 win against Whitworth University. Typical of physical, playoff basketball, both teams shot below average from the field, but the Tigers emerged from the cagematch with the upper hand after forcing a dismal three point shooting performance from the Pirates.
The Tigers shot 37% from the field and 36% from three, while the Pirates hit 32% of their shots overall and 17% from deep. Trinity came out of the gates exceptionally strong from deep, making 47% of their threes in the first half before connecting on just 20% in the second. Trinity won the rebounding battle narrowly, grabbing 43 boards to Whitworth's 39. Both teams had no trouble holding onto the ball, but the Pirates found themselves up in that category, giving up just 4 turnovers to the Tigers' 8.
Joshua Chesney has been a key part of the Trinity offense since moving into a starting role in the final games of the year, and was no different tonight. He led the Tigers tonight with a career-high 23 points, to go along with 7 rebounds and 1 assist on 67% (8-12) shooting from the field and 71% (5-7) from three. Benjamin Wagner added 11 points and 2 rebounds off the bench. Ben Estis contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 40% (4-10) shooting.
The Rundown
It was the Tigers who came out of the gate with momentum, taking an early 13-5 lead with 14:30 to play in the first half. Chesney couldn't be slowed down from the field, dropping 13 points in the game's first 9 minutes as Trinity took its first double digit lead of the game with 11:48 to play, 21-11. That lead only extended as the Tigers stayed hot from three throughout the first half. Chesney splashed home another three on the fast break to take a 31-15 lead with 6:21 to play to cap off a 10-0 run. Whitworth was able to stop the bleeding in the final minutes of the period, but the lead stayed at 16, as the Tigers took a 38-22 advantage into the second half.
The first 10 minutes of the second half saw no movement either way, as both teams struggled to make much happen from the field. That was until 11:48 to go, with the Tigers up 46-34, when 5 points from Wagner fueled an 8-0 run that saw Trinity take its first 20 point lead of the game, up 54-34 with 9:13 to play. Backs against the wall and facing nearly certain elimination, the Pirates came alive in response with an 11-2 run over the next two and a half minutes. With 6:47 to play, it was a single-digit contest again, as the Tiger lead was shortened to 57-46. Trinity was able to keep any Pirate hope at bay, and with 3:03 to go, the lead was still 10, at 66-56. Just then, the real scare came in the form of a quick 7-0 run that brought the game to within one score for the first time since early in the first half. With 1:19 to go, the Tigers held a slim 66-63 lead. Unfortunately for the Pirates, their offense went cold and Trinity was not missing from the charity stripe. Closing the game out on a 5-0 run from the free throw line, the Tigers advanced to the second round with a 71-63 win as the final buzzer sounded.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will match up in the second round tomorrow against the University of St. Thomas, who snuck away with a 69-63 OT win against Belhaven University tonight in the first round. The massive favorite Celts struggled mightily from the field and were solidly outrebounded, giving the underdog Blazers a chance at a March miracle. St. Thomas was able to pull away in the OT period, however, saving what has been an otherwise dominant year for them.
