SOUTH BEND, Ind. – IU South Bend held their opponents to the lowest point total in over three years on Wednesday night, as the Titans' defensive effort led to an 87-30 win over Trinity Christian at the Student Activities Center.
Outside of the opening bucket of the game, the Titans (16-6, 9-5 CCAC) led wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 12-2 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Trolls (12-9, 7-8 CCAC) were held to just four points in the opening period, as three different IUSB players out-scored Trinity Christian on their own, led by Katie Gard's 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first quarter.
The home team would out-pace Trinity by a 17-1 margin in the second quarter, taking a 42-15 lead into the halftime break. Gard and Sara Doi each had 13 points in the first half to lead the Titans.
By holding the Trolls to just one field goal throughout the third quarter and nearly halfway into the fourth, IUSB continued to build their lead, going up by as much as 52 points on Kylee Stepp's three-poiner with 7:25 left to play, 72-20.
Four players in all finished in double figures for the Titans, led by Doi's 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 performance from beyond the arc. Katie Gard tallied 15 points along with five rebounds, while Stepp came off the bench for 11 points and a career-best 3-for-5 night from three-point range. Maddie Gard posted 10 points with four boards and a pair of blocked shots in the win.
The Titans will now prepare for a mid-week matchup with Olivet Nazarene on Wednesday, February 2. Tipoff with the Tigers is set for 5:30 p.m.