DAVENPORT, Iowa – Whatever Jason Hawkins said at halftime in the locker room to his Trinity Christian College men's basketball team on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at St. Ambrose University (Iowa) needs to be made into a book. The Trolls entered the break with a three-point lead over the league leading Fighting Bees, but exploded offensively in the second half. Trinity shot an astounding 61.3 percent from the floor – including 63.6 percent from behind the arc, to hand the Bees an 89-68 loss, their first in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC).

Sterling Brown scored 16 of his team-leading 20 in the second half, missing just one shot in the 18 minutes he was on the court. He also added a team-high seven assists and pulled in four rebounds on the night. James Pennington also caught fire in the second half, only missing a free throw in the half, collecting 14 of his 16 on the night.  

Myles Johnson and Vince Overway took the lead in the first half for the Trolls, notching 10 and nine points, respectively to keep the game tight. Overway tied his season-high, finishing with 16 points.  Johnson finished the night with 12 points, while adding six rebounds and two steals.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Sterling Brown: Team-high 20 points (7-of-12, FG; 5-of-9, 3Pt; 1-of-2, FT), four rebounds, team-leading seven assists, two steals
• James Pennington: 16 points (6-of-10, FG; 1-of-2, 3Pt; 3-of-4, FT), team-leading 11 rebounds, five assists
• Vince Overway: Season-high 16 points (6-of-11, FG; 4-of-8, 3Pt)
• Myles Johnson: 12 points (4-of-6, FG; 1-of-1, 3Pt; 3-of-3, FT), six rebounds, two steals

NOTES AND NEWS:

• The CCAC standings look a lot different after Wednesday's matchups, as two of the three unbeaten teams came up short. Holy Cross College (Ind.) remains the only undefeated team. With just four weeks remaining before the CCAC Tournament, the three automatic bids to the NAIA National Tournament all seem up for grabs.
• Sterling Brown moved into the top-50 in the NAIA in Assists per Game, coming in at 49^th with 4.5).
• The Trolls are now 39^th in the NAIA in 3-Pt Field Goals Percentage (.377) and 43^rd in 3-Pt Field Goals Made per Game (9.50)

The Trolls (4-6, 2-3) return to the DeVos Center to host Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.) on Saturday, Jan. 23. The two teams faced off twice last year with the Trolls coming away with the sweep. Cardinal Stritch enters the contest 0-8 overall and 0-4 in the CCAC.