ANGOLA, Ind. – It was a battle all the way to the end inside the MTI Center as the #3 Trine University men's basketball team outlasted Hope College, who is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, by a score of 64-53. The Thunder are now 19-1 on the season and undefeated at 9-0 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. The Flying Dutch fall to 14-6 overall and 6-3 inside the conference.

Nothing came easy for either side on offense with Hope shooting 41.7% (20-for-48) and Trine 38.7% (24-for-62). The Thunder also had to withstand a lengthy squad that blocked ten shots on the night. Trine tied their season-high with 19 steals on 24 turnovers in the game to help limit the shot total on the side of the Flying Dutch. It was a 25-13 edge for the Thunder in points off of opposing miscues.

Individually, it was hard to pinpoint just one student-athlete. Fred Garland led the team in scoring with 14 points, but Brent Cox added 13 points and Aidan Smylie netted 11 points. Emmanuel Megnanglo had ten rebounds with three steals and three blocked shots. Smylie accumulated six steals, the second time this season he has hit that mark.

Hope was able to score first and take a slight lead, but Cox scored on an offensive rebound to give Trine their first lead of the evening at 8-7 just beyond the five-minute mark. Coming out of a timeout by the Flying Dutch, they would rattle off seven straight to reclaim the lead 14-8. Shooting from behind the three-point line allowed Hope to go up 19-12 at the halfway point in the period.

A Drew Moore three-point try was good followed by Cortez Garland free throws to get back to even at 21 all with just over six minutes to play in the first half. After falling behind once more, Fred Garland stole the ball and took it the other way for two as the teams went back-and-forth in the late stages of the half. Down the stretch, it was long field goal after long field goal, but when the dust settled after 20 minutes, the score read Hope 31, Trine 29.

"We know the second time through in conference play, it's going to be more physical," Cox said postgame. "I think that's the best thing about our group is that we have so much experience that we know that's how it's going to be and are able to fight through that. Even the young guys are prepared for that physicality."

The Thunder would find themselves back in front with a strong start to the second period, but Hope was there to counter, getting back to a tie game at 39 apiece. Trine would swarm their opponents defensively and open up a double-digit lead with a 10-0 scoring run sparked by back-to-back field goals by Smylie. Cortez Garland found Cox inside for two to close the run and force a Flying Dutch timeout with 11 minutes to play.

Showing great resiliency, Hope would come out of the break with consecutive three-point plays to get back in the ballgame. A Fred Garland three on the offensive end for the Thunder would help keep a distance between the two, but the Flying Dutch would methodically cut Trine's lead down to two at 55-53 with under five minutes remaining.

The team got big moments out of their fifth-year senior Cox with a layup to stop Hope's momentum and allow the Thunder to retain the advantage. He would hit a three a few moments later to put the finishing touches on the contest, but defensively, the Flying Dutch were held without a point for the last 4:26 of regulation. Four turnovers on the biggest possessions of the game would lead to the victory for Trine, 64-53.

One of the biggest pieces late in the game on the defensive side of the ball was Grant Pahl. Fred Garland mentioned him in his postgame interview after getting into foul trouble, "I had to face some adversity tonight with foul trouble, but this is why we compete every day. Pahl came in ready to play and it was like there was no change when he subbed in."

Up next for the Thunder is another home game, this time against the Alma College Scots. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 3.