ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Trine University men's basketball team dropped their first game of the season Sunday at the University of Mount Union, 72-62 in a battle of ranked opponents. Trine entered the game ranked seventh nationally by D3hoops.com and Mount Union 21st.

The loss drops the Thunder to 4-1 overall this season, and the Purple Raiders remain unbeaten at 4-0.

"I think we learned a lot about our team today," Head Coach Brooks Miller commented postgame. "We knew coming in this weekend would challenge us physically. It's a great opportunity to get better. We're still a work in progress, and learning about the adjustments we made in the offseason."

As a team, Trine was held to 42.3% (22-for-52) from the field, while Mount Union offensively shot 56.0% (28-for-50) overall. The Thunder were outrebounded in the game 34-18.

The first two minutes of action were utilized to feel one another out on their defensive strategies. A Mount Union turnover led to a dunk by Nick Bowman [Angola, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern] on the other end of the floor. Hayden Jones [Kendallville, Ind. / East Noble], who made the first start of his career, knocked down a wing three and scored on a back cut to make it 7-4 Trine.

An 11-0 scoring run for the Purple Raiders forced Trine to take a timeout down 20-11 with 11:36 remaining in the first half. The lead would get up to as many as 13 before a Bowman lay-up and Bryce Williams [Archbold, Ohio / Archbold] three-point make cut into the gap. Mount Union would take a timeout in an effort to halt momentum.

Out of the break, Mitchell Geller [Huntington, Ind. / Huntington North] and Bowman each scored to bring the score to 26-22. As the half drew to a close, Emmanuel Megnanglo [Cotonou, Benin / Amelia Academy] and Brent Cox [Kendallville, Ind. / East Noble] each crashed the offensive glass for baskets. The team went into the locker room trialing 33-28.

Coming out of the break, the lead for the Purple Raiders once again ballooned to 13 at 50-37 before the Thunder called another timeout just over five minutes in. Trine was able to rattle off eight in a row, capped by a Bowman dunk in traffic to make it 54-48. Megnanglo picked the pocket of Mount Union players on back-to-back possessions that led to scores.

Connor Jones [Danville, Ind. / Danville], who was a key wing defender this afternoon, displayed his offensive prowess with six straight Thunder points, including an offensive rebound and putback, a pair of free throws and a lay-up. Jones got the game down to three points, 57-54, but a timely corner three for the Purple Raiders sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Late free throw shooting and defense down the stretch for Mount Union led them to a 10-point victory over Trine, 72-62.

Bowman and Connor Jones led Trine scorers with 21 and 16 points. Bowman had seven field goals and was 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. Jones shot 6-for-8 from the floor and sank all four of his freebies on his way to a new career-high.

The next game for Trine comes one week from today at home versus Baldwin Wallace. The Thunder and Yellow Jackets will tip-off at 2 pm on Sunday, November 28.