ANGOLA, Ind.-- A pair of Will Dixon free throws with two seconds left lifted Trine to a 55-54 victory over Olivet in MIAA-action Saturday afternoon in Hershey Hall.
Dixon's (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville) free throws gave the Thunder its only lead of the second half. Trine had to fight back nearly the entire afternoon as the Comets held the lead for over 35 minutes in the contest. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Thunder offensively. Lee Gardner notched a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds to pace Olivet. Trine improved to 13-4 overall and evened its MIAA record at 3-3. The Comets fell to 3-14 overall, 2-4 in conference play.
Dixon scored 12 of his 13 points in the second half. He finished 5-of-11 from the field and dished out three assists. Tarvis Malone (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) filled the stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Thunder converted 13 Olivet turnovers into 15 points.
Eric Ewing added 13 points for Olivet. The Comets also got 12 points from Quinton Way, who knocked down 4-of-7 three-point attempts. Olivet led by as many as 17 points.
The Comets opened up their largest lead of the game midway through the first half after 20-2 run over a span of 6:59. A Gardner three capped the surge and made the score 25-8 with 9:22 to play in the half.
A barrage of Malone threes helped bring the Thunder back in it. The senior knocked down all four of his threes in the first half. The senior is shooting 50 percent from three-point range over the last three games. Olivet took a 33-24 lead into the half.
A Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) three brought Trine back within one possession for the first time at 38-35 with 14:51 to play. The Comet lead would fluctuate between two and six points into the deciding stretch.
A Dixon jumper pulled the Thunder within 54-53 with 36 seconds left. Trine elected to bet on its defense to get a stop rather than fouling on the ensuing possession. The team was rewarded with the stop, and Dixon drove the length of the floor off the miss to draw the foul with two seconds left.
The junior knocked down both free throw attempts and Olivet was unable to get a shot off as the Thunder survived to earn the victory. Trine's defense held the Comets to 33 percent (8-of-24) from the field in the second half.
Trine travels to Albion Wednesday, Jan. 27 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the Britons. The two teams could be part of a three-way tie for third in the MIAA pending tonight's outcome between Albion and Alma.