Palos Heights, Ill. -  Roosevelt had the ball, down by one point, with under 10 seconds remaining. Caleb Brown missed a layup at the buzzer and Trinity Christian College men's basketball (10-13, 6-10 CCAC) snuck away with a 61-60 victory on Saturday afternoon inside a lively DeVos Gymnasium. It marks a huge win for Jason Hawkins group as the Trolls get their 10th win of the season while also beating the 4th place team in the conference. 

On Saturday, the win was earned on the defensive end of the floor.

"We had our best defensive effort of the season. We struggled offensively, but our defense made up for it. Our guys never gave up. It was a great team win," head coach Jason Hawkins said.

The Trolls limited the Roosevelt attack to only 34% from the field and just 27% from the three-point line. On the offensive end of the floor, senior James Pennington returned to the hardwood after missing the previous four games with an injury. He scored 20 points including a huge jumper with 1:53 remaining to give the Trolls a 60-56 advantage. Pennington scored seven of the last eight points for the Trolls.

NOTES & NUMBERS:

• Sophomore Braxton Barnhizer is putting himself in contention for an All-Conference selection. He scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
• Freshman Deon McLaughlin scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. 
• Pennington, Barnhizer and McLaughlin scored 89% of the Trolls points.
• The Trolls were outrebounded 49-42 but still hung on for the win.

UP NEXT: Trinity Christian College will take a trip to Trinity International University (10-14, 6-10 CCAC) on Wednesday night. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST. The Trolls beat TIU 103-84 back on Nov. 10.