ANGOLA, Ind. – Nate Tucker scored a season high 21 points to lead the Trine University men's basketball team to an 81-62 MIAA victory over Kalamazoo College on Wednesday night. Trine (13-5, 5-2 MIAA) took a 53-22 halftime lead and cruised to a win over the Hornets (3-15, 0-7 MIAA).
 
Three other Thunder tallied double figures as Elias Lewis scored 14, Jayden Bradshaw had 13, and Cade Brenner pitched in 11. Bradshaw and Brenner added four steals and Lewis had a team high eight rebounds. Danny Flood dished out five dimes to go with eight points.
 
Tucker went right to work, burying a straightaway triple just 17 seconds into the game, the Thunder then built a 10-0 lead and never trailed. Tucker closed the 10-0 run with a driving layup and added a midrange jumper to answer Kalamazoo's first basket.
 
The Thunder nailed ten triples in the first half, Elisha Jones, Tucker and Bradshaw each made one to push the lead to 23-5. Flood assisted Tucker's make and Lewis assisted Bradshaw. Eddie Millington made the next one. Consecutive makes from Brenner and Jones pushed the lead to 25 and the rout was on. Brenner buried a pair from beyond NBA-range. Flood got in on the fun with one of his own and then dished out another assist to Bradshaw.
 
Bradshaw drew an unusual shooting foul as time expired in the first half. He uncorked an overhand shot from well within the Hornets offensive zone but drew contact on the release and earned three free throws, making two.
 
The Hornets showed some fight in the second half, trimming the Thunder lead to 21 with a 22-9 run to open the frame. Bradshaw slowed the momentum with jumper before Lewis halted it completely with a one-handed fastbreak dunk. Flood added a triple and Tucker scored five in a row as Trine fought off a feisty second half effort from the guests.
 
Trine heads to Alma College on Saturday as they begin the second half of MIAA play at 3:00 p.m.