ANGOLA, Ind. - The Trine University women's basketball team rallied to start the second half, but a late scoring drought by the Thunder allowed Olivet College to hold on to a 59-54 conference win. The Thunder's record drops to .500 for the first time this season and are now 9-9 overall and 3-6 in the MIAA.

The first half saw the two sides battle back and forth throughout the period. Overall, there were nine different lead changes including five tie scores. The Thunder's biggest lead of the half came as Trine led 13-10 with seven minutes remaining after junior Megan Loveberry (Quincy, Mich./Quincy) scored on a fast break layup. The Comets led by five at the break as Olivet's Kelsey Campbell nailed a three with just seconds remaining.

The Thunder defense stepped it up to start the second half as they held the Comets scoreless through the first four minutes. Trine was able to build an eight point lead at 37-29 with 14 minutes to go in the game as sophomore Lauren Tait (Syracuse, Ind./Wawasee) converted on a three point play. From there, it was the Olivet defense that would take over the game shutting down the Thunder, not allowing them to score for nearly 10 minutes. By the time junior Sydney Spragg (Reading, Mich./Reading) converted a pair of free throws with 5:43 remaining, the Comets had taken a four point lead. Olivet would extend their lead after they converted on two quick Trine turnovers as the Thunder trailed by 10 point. From there the Thunder were kept at arm's length until the final minute of the game.

Trailing by 11 points with just over a minute left, junior Haley Killingbeck (Poneto, Ind./Southern Wells) nailed a three. After the Comets converted on a free throw, Killingbeck hit another triple with the Thunder trailing by six with 50 seconds to go. Loveberry would force a Olivet turnover, allowing senior Danielle Senf (Blanchardville, Wis./Pecatonica) to score on a layup as Trine trailed by just four with 25 second left in the game. Trine had an opportunity to close the gap as Loveberry knocked away the ensuing inbounding pass, but Olivet was able to recover the ball. The Comets converted on 3-of-4 free throws in the final seconds to seal the game.

Spragg led the Thunder with 12 points on 5-of-7shooting. Spragg also led the team with six rebounds. Senf added in 11 points to go along with a game-high six assists. Loveberry and Killingbeck each poured in 10 points. Loveberry, Senf and Spragg each hauled in a game-high five steals. Killingbeck knocked away a game-high two shots to go along with pulling down five boards.

Both sides were marred by turnovers, as each squad committed 27 errors. Trine tied a season-high with 17 steals while the Comets also pulled in a season-high 14 steals. The two teams both connected on 20 field goals on the afternoon, but the Thunder converted 46.5 percent compared to just 37.7 for the Comets. Trine also made 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line compared to just 59 percent (13-of-22) for Olivet.

Trine will travel to Saint Mary's on January 25 to take on the Belles at 7:30 p.m.