GARY, Ind. – The David Osborn era of Trinity Men's Basketball began in dramatic fashion on Friday night, as the Trolls opened the 2024-25 season with a double-overtime win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.), 121-114 in the first of two games at the Indiana Northwest Redhawk Classic.
Marcus Green led the way in his Trinity debut, scoring a game-high 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting to go along with five rebounds. Chris Cross tallied 28 points and six boards while going 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Danny Staskunas scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, finishing the night 6-of-10 with all of his work coming from three-point range. Mac Parmelee posted 19 points in 48 minutes of action along with a team-high nine rebounds, and Tylan Harris led the bench with 14 points.
The Trolls led throughout most of the first half, opening on an 11-5 run to start the night. Trinity would lead by as much as 10 before the break, on Silas Spaulding's three at the 2:13 mark, but the Pomeroys trimmed the score to 44-40 at the half.
The lead would trade sides over the first ten minutes of the second half, before a pair of threes from Staskunas and Harris started a 13-2 run that put the Trolls in front 83-70 with 6:26 left in regulation.
SMWC would close out the half on a 15-4 run over the last 3:49 to force overtime. In the first extra session, the Trolls mostly held a narrow lead, but a game-tying jumper at the buzzer would extend the game further.
Three consecutive three-pointers – one from Staskunas and a pair from Parmelee – allowed the Trolls to quickly build a ten point lead in double overtime, and with just two minutes left on the clock, the Pomeroys were unable to mount a comeback.
The win marks the fourth year in a row that Trinity claimed victory in the season opener, and is the first over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods after the series began with the Pomeroys sweeping a home-and-home last year.
The Trolls will look to keep the momentum through a quick turnaround, as the team faces Michigan-Dearborn in the finale of the Redhawk Classic on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
