Alma, Mich. - The Alma College men's basketball team snapped a two-game slide on Wednesday (Jan. 18) night, defeating Trine University by an 85-74 margin at Art Smith Arena. The Scots (7-9 overall, 3-2 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association) moved into sole possession of third place in the league standings, while the Thunder (7-9, 2-3 MIAA) dropped its second straight.

"There's no doubt how huge this game was," Head Coach Sam Hargraves said. "They (Trine) are one of the top three teams in the league and I didn't know what to think going in because I respect them and how good they are, so it was absolutely a huge win. We are trying to keep pace with the guys above us, but you've got to win your games at home if you want a shot at doing something special at the end of the year."

Senior Trevor Gernaat (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian/Mid-Michigan CC) - on his 22nd birthday - posted a game-high 30 points and was one of three Scots to collect seven rebounds. Gernaat was 11-for-22 from the floor, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, and helped Alma shoot 58.6 percent from the floor. He also led the team in scoring for the 10th time this season and has notched 10 or more points in nine of his last 10 games.

Freshman Preston Laketa (Concord, Mich./Hanover-Horton) came of the bench to tie a season-high with 21 points, making eight of his 10 shots, including a season-best five of his seven attempts from three-point range. Laketa has now scored in double figures in each of his last eight games.

Junior Kevin Scheibert (Sanford, Mich./Sanford-Meridian) also tied a season-high, scoring 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Scheibert collected a season-high seven rebounds, matching the total posted by freshman Ryan Stevens (Lowell, Mich./Lowell).

After Trine made the opening basket, eight straight points by Gernaat gave Alma the lead for good. With the score 15-12, the Scots went on an 11-0 run to go up by 14 points, which Trine could never recover from. The Thunder got within single digits twice early in the second half, but eight points by Scheibert on three possessions after Trine made the score 55-47 helped Alma pull away for good.

Alma will hit the road for its next three games, starting on Saturday, Jan. 20, with a 3:00 p.m. contest at Albion College.