Offense Sets the Tone as Cedarville Conquers Trevecca

By Josh Decker

The Yellow Jackets cruised to a 91-68 victory over visiting Trevecca on Saturday afternoon in the Jackets’ third straight win.

Cedarville continued its hot streak offensively as the defense stepped up and forced the Trojans to commit 20 turnovers. The Jackets improve to 13-8 overall this season and 9-5 in G-MAC competition.

Senior Conner TenHove poured in a season-high 24 points on 10-14 shooting from the field to lead Cedarville’s offense.

Isaiah Speelman was an efficient 7-10 from the floor, contributing 19 points, and Branden Maughmer finished the game with a double-double, dropping 16 points to go with a game-high ten rebounds.

“We were able to get in good positions to score and create shots for each other,” TenHove said. “Plus we rebounded and defended well.”

The first eight minutes of the game were tightly contested. The Jackets held a narrow 22-17 lead with just under twelve minutes to play in the first half.

That’s when Quinton Green sparked the offense, forcing a steal as Trevecca brought the ball up the floor and throwing down an emphatic dunk to start an 11-2 Cedarville scoring run.

Three straight triples gave the Jackets a 36-19 advantage with 6:53 on the clock, and despite Trevecca closing the gap in the final few minutes of the half, Cedarville went into the break with a 46-31 lead.

The Jackets entered halftime shooting 47% from the field and converting 38% from three-point range. Cedarville also took care of the ball, ending the first 20 minutes with zero turnovers.

In the second half, the Trojans managed to cut into the deficit, getting within seven points of the Jackets before the hosts responded by jumping out to a 73-56 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.

Cedarville was in full control for the final stretch of the contest, going up as much as 25 points before closing out the game in style with a Bryan Vander Have triple to seal the 91-68 result.

The Jackets ended the day shooting an even 50% for the third straight game and finishing 36% from behind-the-arc.

Cedarville dominated on the boards, pulling in 15 offensive rebounds and finishing with a 29-26 advantage on the glass. The Jackets’ defense also held Trevecca to only 49 total shots as Cedarville finished the game with 74.

“The two things we did tonight that set the tone for us were we got offensive rebounds and we forced turnovers,” head coach Pat Estepp said.

The Jackets will look to close out the homestand with another victory when Lake Erie comes to town on Monday, February 7th. Tip-off is set for 7:45 P.M. from the Callan Athletic Center.

Josh Decker is a senior Sport Business Management major, and a sports reporter for Cedars. He loves playing sports with friends, and spends much of his free time as a student assistant for the Cedarville men’s basketball team.