ANGOLA, Ind. – On a night where both teams held each other in check offensively, the Kalamazoo College men's basketball team just missed stealing a road victory against Trine University as the Thunder pulled out a 54-50 win in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action.
A truly defensive battle in the first half, the Hornets were held to just 29.6 percent shooting from the floor as they trailed 29-19 at the break.
The Thunder extended their lead to 15 just under five minutes into the second 20 minutes of play, but the Hornets' effort never wavered. By the 10:59 mark, Kalamazoo cut the deficit to single digits on a Josh Miller layup making the score 43-34.
Another layup from Miller with 5:02 to play trimmed the Thunder lead to 45-43, and after a defensive stop on the next possession, Roger Hood nailed a three-pointer giving K its first lead since leading 2-0.
Kalamazoo extended its lead to three on a Jake Whitney layup but a 9-2 run in the final 2:49 allowed Trine to pull out the victory.
Miller dominated offensively and on the glass recording a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Whitney ended his day with nine points and five rebounds.
Kalamazoo shot 38.9 percent compared to Trine's 33.3 percent.
The Hornets will look to grab a road win on Saturday when they travel to Albion College for a 5:30 p.m. contest.