Angola, Ind. – The Trine men's basketball team defeated Ohio Northern, 78-70, in a New Year's Eve matinee Saturday afternoon in Hershey Hall.

Will Dixon (indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) led the charge for the Thunder with 23 points, along with four assists and four steals. He ended the game with 1,516 career points, moving him into 11th on Trine's all-time scoring list. He is one of 12 players in school history to top 1,500 career points. The Thunder improved to 5-6 overall, while ONU fell to the same record.

Myles Copeland (Toledo, Ohio / St. John's) registered his first career double-double, scoring a personal-best 21 points to go with 10 rebounds. Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) added 10 points for Trine and Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio / Ottawa Hills) had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Devon Allen led the Polar Bears with 23 points, with 15 of those points coming from behind the three-point line. Joey Diorio added 11 points for ONU, and Ryan Bruns finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Joey Hurless dished out eight assists.

The Polar Bears outrebounded the Thunder 46 to 34, but Trine won the turnover battle, forcing 15 from Ohio Northern and turning those takeaways into 21 points. The Thunder turned it over just five times.

It was back-and-forth in the first half, with Ohio Northern leading by as much as seven, and Trine leading by as much as 12. The Thunder took a 41-34 lead into halftime, scoring 15 points off ONU's 10 turnovers.

After a combined 13 threes between the two teams in the first half, there were just two in the second, both from ONU. The Polar Bears fought back in the second half, even taking the lead at one point, but the Thunder ultimately proved to be too much for them. An 11-2 run turned a 61-59 Trine advantage into a comfortable 72-61 lead with 2:37 to play. The Polar Bears never got closer than six the rest of the way.

Copeland was at his best in the second half, scoring 15 points. Dixon added 10 while playing all of the final 20 minutes.

The Trine men return to action Wednesday, January 4, when they open MIAA play against conference rival Calvin. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 PM.