Trojans get redemption against DuPage

With "revenge" on the mind of star "big" Jordyn Coleman and her teammates, the Triton College women's basketball team evened up for a stunning loss last season with a 56-49 victory over area-rival College of DuPage Nov. 19 at the Jorndt Athletic Complex gymnasium.

Coleman ensured the team payback was achieved via several clutch baskets and blocked shots as the Trojans (4-2) fought off several Chaparrals rallies that cut a 14-point Triton lead down to three with just under four minutes to go.

The Trojans overcome 24 percent second-half shooting and 29 percent overall for the game with a determined defense that bent but did not break. Deep down, sophomores like Coleman and fellow "big" Lauryn Hunt won't ever forget a 76-57 DuPage upset last season that broke an eight-game losing streak to Triton. They relayed their feelings to first-year players, who bought in to the "revenge" effort.

"Man, I feel great," said Coleman. "I remember being in the locker room and can hear them celebrating like they won the Super Bowl."

Head coach Drew Winston knew full well those memories from a nearly a year ago.

"We had that game last year," he said. "But much respect to their program, they always give us a game."

Coleman tied guard Jayla Rankin with team-high 14-point outputs. She also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. Coleman also totaled four assists and three blocks.

Triton looked well on its way to the evening-up process with a 31-20 halftime lead. But DuPage (2-4) quickly announced it would not slink away quietly, going on a 12-3 run coming out of intermission.

"I told the team (at halftime) it's harder to hold the lead than to fight back (from a deficit). We withstood the blows," said Winston.

Challenged, the Trojans scored seven in a row to end the third quarter with a 42-32 lead, then further built the advantage to 49-35 on a Coleman layup near midway through the fourth quarter.  The Chaparrals had yet another run in them, slashing the lead to 49-46 with 3:30 to go.

But Mariah Phelps (12 points, 4 steals) came through with a long three-pointer, her third of the game, while Coleman worked the middle expertly to stave off further trouble.

"We executed and played defense the way we know how," said Coleman.

Triton's tallest player at 6-foot-1 had to perform a yeoman's job inside without fellow "big" Lauryn Hunt for much of the night. Hunt did not start due to the death of her aunt. But she collected herself midway through the first half to signal she would play. Hunt ended up playing 12 minutes.

The Trojans got off to a good start in the busiest part of their schedule. They play three games in four days with Kennedy-King and Lewis & Clark coming in Thursday and Friday, respectively.

"We train hard," said Winston. "We're ready to play now. Whatever's on the schedule we'll be up to the challenge."

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(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle)