Lions Start 2026 With a Victory!
Men's basketball traveled to Bemidji, Minnesota to face Conference and Region opponent Oak Hills Christian College. This was the Lions first game back from winter break, with their previous games being cancelled due to weather. The Lions started off the game slow but Jonathan Ogugua made two threes in a row to get the Lions going. The Lions began to get hot from the three point line, scoring their first twenty one points from behind the arc! The Lions made eleven three's in the first half and took a 37-28 lead!
In the second half, Oak Hills started to battle their way back and with about thirteen minutes left, they made a three pointer from the left wing to make the score 46-45. Freshman Forward Thalit Bayath connected on back to back three pointers, followed by a steal and layup from Freshman guard Arsene Metzger,completely shifting the momentum of the game back into Trinity's favor! The Lions got an amazing spark off the bench from Freshman Guard Jephthah Gatei Jr. He poured in three 3-pointers in a row, and finished an and-1 to put the Lions up 72-56! Freshman Forward Sam Franks put the exclamation point on the game with a one-handed dunk in the final minutes of the game! The Lions would go on to win 88-72!
Jonathan Ogugua led the way with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Ogugua also scored his 1,500th career point! Giovanni Saldivar chipped in 9 points and 8 assists, while Jephthah Gatei Jr. poured in 14 points on 5/6 shooting, and Casey Duncan Jr chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds. The team also finished with 26 assists on 33 made field goals, highlighting their ball movement throughout the night. The Lions are now 7-8 on the year and remain undefeated in conference play. They host Canadian Mennonite University this weekend, who is also undefeated in conference play.
