A Tough Pill to Swallow
SOUTH BEND — IU South Bend nearly pulled off a spectacular comeback Wednesday night inside the Student Activities Center, but Trinity Christian stunned the Titans with a game-winning buzzer-beater to pull off a 75-73 victory.
The Titans (14-7, 9-4 CCAC) trailed for nearly the entire contest but refused to go away, battling back repeatedly and tying the game in the final seconds before the Trolls delivered the decisive shot as time elapsed.
IU South Bend struggled early against Trinity Christian’s hot shooting, falling behind by as many as 13 in the first half. Down 20-7, the Titans found a spark off the bench in Chris Hurt, who erupted for 10 straight points, drilling three triples in a span of just over two minutes to keep IU South Bend within striking distance. Despite the surge, Trinity Christian carried a 36-29 lead into halftime.
The second half opened with a different Titans’ squad. IUSB went on a 12-2 run, capped by a three from CJ Hornbeak, tying the game at 41-41 just five minutes into the period—the first tie since the opening tip. Trinity Christian responded with a brief push, but the Titans continued to answer behind strong energy and defensive effort.
AJ Dunn stepped up in the second half, scoring 11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting, including a three-pointer, as IU South Bend stayed within one or two possessions throughout the final stretch.
After Trinity Christian pushed the lead back to seven with under two minutes to play, the Titans dug in once again. Collin Schmidt scored five quick points, followed by a clutch Kyle Millender layup setting up a dramatic finish.
With the Titans trailing by two in the final seconds, Kyle Olagbegi was fouled and calmly knocked down both free throws to tie the game at 73–73 with just 1.2 seconds left.
Following a timeout, Trinity Christian inbounded the ball and found Aiden Cilladi, who sank a tough contested jumper as time expired, silencing the crowd and sealing the win for the Trolls.
Schmidt led IU South Bend with 13 points, while Olagbegi added 10 points and nine rebounds. Dunn finished with 11, Hurt scored 10, and Millender chipped in 10 points off the bench. The Titans shot an impressive 64.0 percent in the second half, but were sunk by their first half shooting at 35.7 percent.
Despite the loss, IU South Bend showed resilience and fight throughout, nearly completing one of its most dramatic comebacks of the season.