PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – A strong start in the second half proved to be the difference, as IU South Bend secured a 63-42 win at Trinity Christian in CCAC play on Saturday afternoon.

With a seven-point lead at the half, the Titans (8-3, 3-2 CCAC) held their opponents to just four points in the third period, while building a 20-point advantage behind 11 points in the third from Rachael Robards. The senior was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range in the third quarter, and finished the game with a season-high 17 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting.

Maddie Gard led the Titans with 19 points in the win, along with a game-high eight rebounds. Emma Fisher finished with 12 points and five boards on the day.

After the Trolls (9-4, 5-3 CCAC) opened the game with a three, IU South Bend went on a 16-0 run to quickly take a double-digit lead in the first quarter. Trinity Christian battled back in the second period, cutting the Titan lead down to six at the 2:37 mark.

A bucket to open the second half made it a five-point IUSB lead, but the Titans would give up just one field goal over the next 11 minutes of play to pull away. Robards fueled the run with back-to-back threes with 3:48 left in the third quarter, then buried another in the closing seconds of the period to give the Titans a 49-29 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The win marks the fourth in a row for the Titans over Trinity Christian, and the lowest total of points surrendered by IUSB in the series since 2011.

The Titans return to the Student Activities Center for a pair of mid-week, non-conference matchups. IUSB hosts Bethel (Ind.) on Wednesday, Dec. 8, and Oakland City (Ind.) on Thursday, Dec. 9. Tipoff with the Pilots is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.