NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University Men's Basketball team (5-2) secured their first-ever Gulf South Conference win in dramatic fashion, edging Auburn Montgomery (3-3) in a nail-biting 69-68 victory.
THE SERIES
With this win, the Trojans even their record against the Warhawks in men's basketball at 1-1, with their only previous meeting dating back to the 2006-07 season.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Trevecca got off to a steady start, despite Auburn Montgomery scoring the first bucket. The Trojans quickly took control, holding the lead until the Warhawks gained momentum midway through the first half.
Trading buckets throughout, neither team managed to pull away significantly, and AUM entered halftime with a narrow five-point lead (40-35).
In the second half, the Trojans returned with renewed energy. A nice layup by
Mateo Esmeraldo finally tied the game at 50 with 12:52 remaining.
The Trojans capitalized on this momentum, going on a 15-9 run to secure a six-point lead 65-59 with just over four minutes left.
The Warhawks fought back, narrowing the lead to as little as one point.
With the Trojans clinging to a narrow lead in their last possession,
Jalen Page maintained composure under defensive pressure after nearly losing the ball and found
NaVuan Peterson, who missed his shot. However, in a clutch play,
Mateo Esmeraldo swatted the ball off the rebounder and saved it from going out of bounds, keeping the ball in Trojan possession and forcing AUM to foul.
The Trojans ran down the clock and escaped with the hard-fought 69-68 victory.
KEY PLAYERS
Jikari Johnson and
Jalen Page shared the spotlight, each scoring 20 points. Johnson added four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks, while Page contributed eight rebounds and two assists.
Mateo Esmeraldo delivered an all-around performance with 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds, including the game-saving hustle play in the final seconds.
Caleb Terry chipped in six points, four rebounds, and two blocks to aid the Trojan effort.
THE TEAM
Trevecca shot 41% from the field (25-61) and 25% from beyond the arc (7-28). Their defensive intensity resulted in seven blocks and six steals, disrupting the Warhawks' offensive flow. The Trojans also outscored AUM in the paint (32-26) and converted 12 of 18 free throws (66.7%). Although the bench scored just six points, the starters carried the load with impressive efforts on both ends of the floor.
UP NEXT
The Trojans return to action on Saturday, December 7, as they continue on the road to face Montevallo (5-2) in their next Gulf South Conference matchup.
