PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – When the Trinity Christian College men's basketball team saw they had an empty Saturday on their schedule in the middle of the season, they went looking for an opponent. Enter Bellevue University (Neb.), a notoriously strong program out of the North Star Athletic Association. What the Trolls weren't anticipating is facing the 14-11 Bruins without their two leading scorers and rebounders. TJ Lacey stepped up offensively, recording a season-high 19 points, with Braxton Barnhizer another added 12, but it wasn't quite enough as the Trolls fell 109-74.  

Trinity knew going into the game they would play without leading scorer and rebounder James Pennington but weren't expecting to lose Sterling Brown in the second half. Lacey led the way for the Trolls, with 15 of his 19 points coming after the break. He also shared leading rebounding honors with Jalyn Clark, each finishing with four. Vince Overway added 10 points and three rebounds.

BY THE NUMBERS

• TJ Lacey: Season/Team-high 19 points (7-of-12, FG; 1-of-2, 3Pt; 4-of-8, FT), four rebounds, two assists
• Braxton Barnhizer: 12 points (4-of-7, FG; 2-of-2, 3Pt; 2-of-4, FT), two rebounds, two steals
• Vince Overway 10 points (4-of-8, FG: 2-of-2, FT), three rebounds

UP NEXT

Trinity (5-8) returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 3 hosting Saint Xavier University (Ill.) in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference action. Last season, the Cougars picked up both head-to-head wins. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. There are currently no spectators allowed, please turn in to our live broadcast.