ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine men's basketball team lost to Hope College, 78-74, in MIAA-action Saturday afternoon at Hershey Hall.

The Flying Dutch never trailed, but Trine kept it close the entire game. After being down by as much as 14 in the second half, the Thunder staged a furious rally in the final minutes. The comeback attempt was highlighted by two monster blocks from Ellis Cummings (Ottawa Hills, Ohio / Ottawa Hills), including a  chase-down block that led to an Adison Daub (Corunna, Ind. /  DeKalb) three-pointer to cut the score to 76-74 with 43 seconds remaining.

The rally fell just short. Trine got the stop it needed on the ensuing possession, which included a Cummings block, but a turnover and Thunder foul put the Flying Dutch at the line with 10 seconds to play. Dante Hawkins knocked down both free throws to put the game out of reach.

Trine fell to 7-8 overall and evened its conference record at 2-2. Hope improved to 11-4 overall, 4-0 in MIAA play.

Both teams shot well from the field, as Trine finished 29-of-54 (54 percent) and Hope finished 26-of-55 (47 percent). The Dutch hit 13 three-pointers to make up the difference in shooting percentage. Both teams took exceptional care of the basketball with just 21 combined turnovers, but the Dutch were more opportunistic in scoring 17 points off miscues to Trine's eight.

Four players finished in double figures for Hope, led by Chad Carlson, who had 20 points and five assists, and was 6-of-10 from three-point land. Cody Stuive added 19 points and six boards, Hawkins had 16 points and eight boards, and Harrison Blackledge had 13 points.

Myles Copeland (Toledo, Ohio / St. John's) led the Thunder with 22 points, which tied a career high. The sophomore knocked down 9-of-13 from the field and is now averaging 16.8 points in five games since earning a starting role. 

Kyle Dodson (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) had a career high with 10 assists, to go along with six points and six rebounds. Dodson's 10 assists tied for the sixth-most on record in a game in team history, with most of the assists on post entries to Cummings and Copeland. Cummings had 14 points and seven rebounds, Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Zionsville) finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Daub had nine points on three treys.

The Trine men return to action Wednesday, Jan. 18, when they travel to Alma. Tip is slated for 7:30 PM.

Article contributed by Grant Tingley, Communication New Media '19