Men's Basketball

March 12, 2005

Trinity Falls to Stevens Point in Sectional Final

Trinity (25-7) trailed 24-28 at the half after Chad Stroberg hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to conclude the first period.

Stevens Point led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Trinity scored five straight points to finish the half down by just four.  Early in the second period, the Tigers took the lead (33-32) on a three-pointer from Jason Morris - followed by another three from Peter Murray to give Trinity a four-point cushion with 13:13 to play.

The Pointers responded with five straight points to reclaim the lead, and then the teams traded leads for the final 10 minutes of the game.  Sean Devins made 1-2 free throws with 2:42 left to tie the game at 50-50, but Stevens Point broke the tie on the next possession.   The Pointers then made it a 5-0 run with a three-point play on a foul by Trinity with 1:29 left. 

Trinity cut it to a one-possession game with two free throws, and a steal by Ross Burt gave the Tigers the ball with just under one minute to play.  Morris went for the tie, but could not get the shot to fall, and Trinity was forced to foul with 28 seconds to go.  The Pointers hit 7-7 from the line in the final 1:29 to seal the win and a chance to repeat as national champions.

Morris led Trinity with 20 points and six assists in the game, while Stevens Point's Nick Bennett led all scorers with 28 points - including 5-11 threes.  Morris became Trinity's fourth-leading scorer in school history, surpassing assistant coach and former Tiger standout Quintin Mason. 

Peter Murray added 12 points on 4-8 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds and hitting 2-3 three-point shots.  Chad Stroberg hit 3-4 threes to finish with nine points, and Sean Devins chipped in with six points and game-highs with 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Trinity hit 35.8% from the field for the game, while Stevens Point hit 45.1% from the floor. 

Trinity's season ends with a school-record 25 wins, and a new standard for future teams.  This was Trinity's first trip to the NCAA Division III Sectionals, and the team's three playoff wins were also the most in school history.