KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team kicked off the second half of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association season Wednesday evening against the visiting Trine University Thunder.
Trine came away with a win, but not without a strong push at the end from the Hornets.
Leading 45-27 at halftime, Trine extended its lead to 26 with 10:27 remaining in the second half but the Hornets' spirits never died.
Kalamazoo got itself within 11 with 1:24 remaining courtesy of a 12-3 run beginning with 3:37 left in the game.
The Thunder's lead proved to be too much for Kalamazoo to overcome as Trine made six free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
Offensively the Hornets were paced by Josh Miller's breakout performance. Miller ended with a season-high 20 points and added seven rebounds to his stat sheet.
Chase Baysdell also recorded double digits for Kalamazoo scoring 12 points and corralling eight boards.
Demarco Dickerson and Adam Dykema provided life off the bench for Kalamazoo, scoring nine and six respectively.
Kalamazoo crashed the glass hard in the contest, holding a 34-30 advantage, but Trine's hot shooting (55.1 percent) trumped the Hornets' effort on the glass.
Kalamazoo gets back at it this Saturday, Feb. 6 when Albion visits Anderson Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. following the women's basketball game.