The Triton men's basketball team put together a huge 2nd half to pull away from South Suburban College 80-53 Thursday night at the Collins Center in a battle of
NJCAA Division II top 10 ranked teams. The Trojans entered the contest ranked No. 5 in the latest poll released Feb. 20. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs entered the contest at No. 7.
Through 20 minutes it appeared that the two teams were going to be in a nailbiter down the stretch as Triton led 33-32 at halftime. However, the final 20 minutes was all Trojans as they outscored South Suburban 47-21 in the 2nd half. At one point, Triton went on a 22-3 run to break the game open.
The Trojans were sparked by the play of
Martrell Barnes off the bench. The freshman did not miss a single shot as he was a perfect eight-for-eight from the field to finish with a season-high 21 points.
North Central Community College Conference (N4C) MVP,
Deonta Terrell had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Devin Blake was in double-figures with 11 points.
Alondes Williams added eight points and eight rebounds for a Triton squad that finished the regular season with a 26-4 record.
For head coach
Steve Christiansen, it is
his 11th straight season with 20 or more victories. In addition, the program increases their school record of consecutive home wins to 69.
But most importantly, the win over the Bulldogs (25-5) also wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the Trojans entering the NJCAA Region IV Division II Tournament. Triton will host a Region IV quarterfinal game, Thursday, March 1 at the Collins Center. The opponent is still to be determined. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
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