PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – There was little time for the Trinity Christian College men's basketball to bask in their big midweek upset, there was still work to be done when Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.) rolled into town on Saturday, Jan. 23. Neither game was an easy one to prepare for as they went from taking on the undefeated conference leader to facing a hungry Wolves team searching for their first win. Cardinal Stritch kept things a little closer than the Trolls would have liked in the first half, going into the break down one. Once again Jason Hawkins used his halftime motivational magic as the Trolls came out with a new energy, rattling off 14 unanswered points and never looked back to pick up an 85-73 victory.

The Trolls are quickly showing that they are a team that is hard to defend, with a balanced scoring offense. Four players recorded double digits offensively, led by James Pennington's season-high 26 points. Pennington was nearly impossible to stop, shooting an astounding 11-of-16 from the field. Sterling Brown added 21 points, while dishing out a team-high six assists. Braxton Barnhizer matched his season-high of 14 points, while Vince Overway contributed 11. Myles Johnson pulled down a season-high 12 rebounds, seven at the defensive end of the court. He also added seven points.

 BY THE NUMBERS:

• James Pennington: Season/team-high 26 points (11-of-16, FG; 4-of-5, FT), nine rebounds, two assists, block
• Sterling Brown: 21 points (6-of-12, FG; 5-of-9, 3Pt; 4-of-4, FT), team-high six assists, three rebounds
• Braxton Barnhizer: 14 points (5-of-8, FG; 3-of-3, FT), three rebounds, three assists
• Myles Johnson: Season/team-high 12 rebounds, four assists, seven points
• Vince Overway: 11 points, three rebounds

NEWS AND NOTES:

• Sterling Brown ranks 42^nd in the NAIA in Assists per Game (4.636).
• From behind the arc, TCC is in the top-50 in the NAIA in both 3-Pt Field Goals Made per Game (9.636/42^nd) and 3-Pt Field Goals Percentage (.373/48^th).
• The CCAC Tournament is just under four weeks off, starting February 23. This season, all teams who have played 10 games will be eligible.

Trinity Christian (5-6 ,3-3) will travel to Trinity International University (Ill.) on Wednesday, Jan. 27 to face the Trojans in CCAC action. The Trojans enter the game 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the conference. In their one meeting a year ago, the Trolls came away with a 92-84 victory. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Deerfield, Illinois. TIU is not allowing spectators, but the game will be available on a live stream.