South Bend, Ind. - Playing in their first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in 22 days, Trinity Christian College men's basketball (8-9, 4-6 CCAC) went to Holy Cross College (8-10, 3-7 CCAC) and secured a 69-64 win on Wednesday evening. After 15 ties and eight lead changes, it was the Trolls ending the night on a 10-3 run in overtime. 

Senior James Pennington scored six of his 23 points in overtime to lead the Trinity offense. Freshman Deon McLaughlin scored a career high 20 points on 10-for-15 shooting.

"Tonight we had a great team defensive effort. Our ball pressure really set the tone for the entire game," head coach Jason Hawkins said. "To pull off an overtime win on the road is a great way to start the conference season in 2022."

Holy Cross held a six-point lead midway through the first half. The Trolls pulled within two points at 24-22 on a McLaughlin layup with 7:34 to go in the half. Neither team had more than a three-point lead again until overtime.

Pennington changed that. He elevated for a rebound and took it coast-to-coast, finishing with a turnaround jumper. It gave the Trolls a 65-61 lead with 2:52 to go in overtime. 

It was another night of productivity for sophomore Braxton Barnhizer. He scored nine points and corralled 14 rebounds. His lone free throw attempts of the night came in overtime. He knocked down both to give the Trolls a three-point lead with 1:05 left in the game.

NUMBERS & NOTES:

• Sophomore Dustin Hudak made his debut for the Trolls in his home state. The Lowell, Ind. native played 28 minutes. He scored four points and hauled in six boards. 
• Trinity Christian College dominated the glass, 45-38. 
• The Trolls went just 3-for-15 from beyond the arc. It ties the least number of made three-pointers in a game this year. Entering the night, Trinity was 1-3 in games where they made only three, three-pointers.
• Pennington has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games. He's averaging 26.6 points per game during the stretch.

UP NEXT: at Calumet College | Rittenmeyer Center | Whiting, Ind. | 3:00 p.m.