ANGOLA, IN - The Trine University men's basketball team rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to lead by a two points with under 20 seconds to go, but a late four-point play by Hiram (Ohio) College resulted in the Terriers taking a 72-70 win against the Thunder in Trine's first game of the St. Andrews Products Classic at the MTI Center.

Freshman Brent Cox (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) was fouled on a successful layup and completed the three-point play that gave Trine a two-point edge, 70-68, in the final seconds. Hiram then came down and launched a three-point attempt just before time expired which found the bottom of the net despite the shooter being fouled on the play. The Terriers capped the four-point opportunity with a successful free-throw that put the visitors out in front by two points, 72-70, with 1.7 seconds remaining.

Trine senior guard, Marcus Winters (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic), got a final shot attempt away before time expired, but the attempt hit the front of the rim, allowing Hiram to come away with the two-point victory.

The Thunder shot nearly 50 percent in the second half (48.6%) and outscored Hiram, 47-35, to improve from a 26.7 shot percentage in the first period. Junior Jake Daniels (Grand Blanc, Mich./Holly) led the team in scoring with a career-high 20 points, which included three triples and was a perfect nine-of-nine at the free-throw line.

Winters was second in scoring with 14 points and fellow senior Langston Johnson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) rounded out the high scorers with 12 points.

It was all Hiram (4-5) in the first half despite the game being tied at 6-6 at the 16:13 minute mark. The Terriers then outscored the Thunder, 11-3, in the next four-and-a-half minutes to lead by eight points, 17-9, with 11:44 to go. Trine (4-3) kept the deficit to single figures until the 4:52 mark when Hiram recorded its first double-digit lead as part of a 9-0 scoring run en route to boasting a 15-point advantage, 32-17, with under four minutes left before halftime.

The deficit grew to as many as 16 points for Trine, but a pair of free-throws by Daniels ended the scoring in the opening half as the Thunder went into the locker room trailing, 37-23.

Trine began the second half by outscoring Hiram, 21-6, in the first 6:56 to record its first lead since scoring the opening points of the contest following a jumper by Langston Johnson at the 13:04 mark. The visitors responded with five straight points of their own to retake the lead by four points, but could not pull away by more than six points the rest of the game.

Trailing by six points with just under three-and-a-half minutes remaining, a layup by sophomore Brandan Johnson (Fort Wayne, Ind./North Side) sparked a 9-0 run that put Trine ahead by three points with 1:12 to play. The two teams swapped leads three times in the final minute that included Trine leading by two points following the three-point play by Cox, before the final heroics by Hiram would seal the deal for the Terriers who went on to claim the 72-70 final.

Trine will conclude the two-day St. Andrews Products Classic tomorrow (Sunday, Dec. 15) and will take on Loras (Iowa) College with tip-off scheduled for approximately 3 p.m.