The
Brian Burns era began on a winning note as the Triton College men's basketball team opened the new season with a solid 80-59 win over Wabash Valley College Nov. 1 in River Grove.
The victory was a quality one for Burns and the Trojans. Especially getting the rare opportunity to host a Region 24 Division I team at home. The Warriors made the five-hour trip from southern Illinois to become the first DI team from lower Illinois to play a road game at Triton since the Trojans jump to NJCAA Division I in 2019.
"It feels great," Burns said about getting his first win as Trojans head coach. "We came out sharp and shot the ball well. Having Wabash Valley be willing to play a game at Triton to start the season was big for us. I'm very happy and excited for this group and happy I was able to get my first win."
The Trojans jumped out to a 12-3 lead five minutes into the contest.
Dior Conners buried one of his four first half triples and then followed with a steal and assist on a dunk by
Amar Augillard to force a Wabash Valley timeout and Triton never looked back.
In addition to the quick start, Burns was also impressed with his teams' defensive effort the first half as Triton built a 42-24 halftime advantage.
"
Dior Conners got off to a hot start with the three's he made the first 10 minutes," Burns said. "That gave us early separation and our defensive did the rest. We played really good on the defensive end of the floor."
For the game, Conners led all scorers with 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting from long range. Augillard had 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field.
Dylan Williams finished with 13 points and
Tolu Samuels added 12 points for the Trojans.
"The guys are starting to gel together," Burns said of his squad that has no returnees from last season. "Getting off to a good start and getting that chemistry going is one of the keys to the season. As the chemistry grows, we will grow."
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