Men's Basketball

March 3, 2005

Tigers Defeat UT-Dallas in First Round Playoff Game

Trinity (23-6) led 32-20 at the half, but UT-Dallas made a comeback early in the second to make for an exciting finish. 

The Tigers broke a 6-6 tie with a 13-2 run early in the first half, but the Comets cut that lead to just six with 2:27 to play in the half.  Trinity then scored six unanswered points to finish off the half and earn the 12-point halftime lead.

After two quick buckets by Trinity to start the second half to make it a 16-point game, UT-Dallas went on its own 13-2 run to make it 38-33 with 15:12 to play in the game. 

The Tigers upped the lead to nine, but the Comets would not go away easily, driving the lead back to five again at 49-44.  A 7-0 Trinity run over 1:29 brought the lead back to 12 points, but UT-Dallas cut the lead in half over the next few minutes of play.

Then with 2:31 to play, UT-Dallas got another three-pointer from Martin Salinas - his fourth of the night - to cut the lead to three at 61-58.  Trinity made 11 of its final 12 free throws to ensure the win, including 9-10 after the Comets cut it to a one-possession game. 

Travis Caruthers hit another three-pointer for UT-Dallas to make it 67-63 with 36 seconds left, but a turnover on the next Comet possession finished off the chances for an upset victory by the upstart UT-Dallas team.

Sean Devins had a great game for the Tigers, leading the team with 19 points and 10 boards.  Devins hit 5-8 field goals and 9-12 free throws in the game, as well as tying for the team lead with three assists.

Jason Morris hit 6-10 from the field for 17 points, adding four rebounds and three assists in his 32 minutes of play.  Morris also passed the 1,400 career points mark in the game, totaling 1,415 in his career.  Chad Stroberg added 10 points in the game, hitting four foul shots in the final 17 seconds to seal the win.

Peter Murray scored seven points in the game, becoming Trinity's 18th member of the 1,000-point club.  With his inclusion, this year's team becomes the first Trinity basketball team ever with three current players to have amassed 1,000 or more points. 

Salinas led UT-Dallas with 19 points in the game, hitting 5-12 three-point shots, and leading the team with seven rebounds as well. 

Trinity shot 57.9% (22-38) from the field for the game, while UT-Dallas hit 43.6% (24-55) of its shots.  The Tigers were 23-29 from the line, while the Comets hit 10-12 at the charity stripe.

Trinity will now host Pomona-Pitzer College at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.  The winner will advance to the Sectionals at a site to be determined on March 11-12.