ANGOLA, Ind. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball lost 64-59 at Trine University in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play on Wednesday.
Kalamazoo trailed early and was never able to take a lead in the contest despite being tied 26-26 late in the first half and trailing by only four points (32-28) at halftime.
The host Thunder extended the lead to 10 points (42-32) five minutes into the second half and still held a 10-point lead (54-44) with 3:43 remaining. Kalamazoo chipped away and cut the deficit to just three points (62-59) with nine seconds on the clock, but Trine sealed the win with a pair of free throws for the final difference of five points (64-59).
"We needed to get off to a good start and get our offense going in order to win a tough conference road game, but I give Trine a lot of credit for slowing us down tonight," said Kalamazoo Head Coach Eric Dougal.
"I am proud of the way we battled back at the end after trailing by 10 points in the final minutes. Unfortunately, we ran out of time."
Trine shot 38.1 percent overall while Kalamazoo shot 35.7 percent. The Thunder hit 12-of-16 free throws compared to 14-of-19 for the Hornets.
Kalamazoo held a 44-37 advantage in rebounds, including 12-9 on the offensive end resulting in a 16-2 advantage in second chance points. Trine turned the ball over just five times in the contest while Kalamazoo was charged with 13 turnovers.
"We did a better job rebounding tonight, particularly on the offensive end, and that was something we've been working on so that was good to see," said Dougal.
Chase Baysdell led the Hornets with 15 points and 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Mark Ghafari was fouled out while being held to a season-low 13 points, but the senior grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
Adam Peters scored 12 points with six rebounds and two assists while Adam Dykema scored 10 points with two assists in his first career start.
Kalamazoo played without senior guard Grant Carey tonight as he is interviewing for medical school at an Ivy League school.
"Since Kalamazoo College is such a prestigious academic institution, our students do phenomenal things and earn opportunities that aren't available everywhere," said Coach Dougal. "We certainly missed Grant [Carey] tonight, but I am extremely proud of his accomplishments and we all wish him the best during his interview process."
Kalamazoo returns home to face Calvin College on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3 p.m.