MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Trevecca Nazarene University Men's Basketball team (12-4, 7-3 GSC) extended their perfect 2025 start with a dominant second-half performance, securing a 91-76 victory over Christian Brothers University (7-9, 3-7 GSC).
Jikari Johnson celebrated a milestone as he joined the 1,000-point club during the contest.
THE SERIES
This marks only the second win for the Trojans in 11 meetings against the Buccaneers in men's basketball, improving their record to 2-9 in the all-time series.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Trevecca came out of the gates as hot as it gets, scoring their first six shots for an early 13-6 lead within the first four minutes.
However, Christian Brothers quickly responded with their own offensive intensity, going bucket-for-bucket and matching the Trojans' pace.
The first half remained tightly contested until the final nine minutes, where the Bucs caught fire. CBU surged ahead with a 25-14 run, fueled by flawless three-point shooting (5-5) and converting 10 of their 13 field goal attempts.
The Buccaneers entered halftime leading 46-38, putting the Trojans in unfamiliar territory as they've led at the half in all but three conference games this season. The only other halftime deficit greater than five points had resulted in a loss, adding pressure on Trevecca to respond.
The second half, however, was a completely different story for the Trojans. Trevecca clawed their way back into the game with precision, eventually reclaiming the lead at the 10:25 mark for the first time since the 4:21 mark in the first half.
From that moment, it was all purple and white as the Trojans closed the game with a commanding 26-11 run.
Their defense stifled the Buccaneers, holding them to just five made field goals in the final 10 minutes, while Trevecca converted 9-14 from the field and 4-8 from beyond the arc.
KEY PLAYERS
Jalen Page led the Trojans with a stellar performance, tallying 29 points on 11-15 shooting, including five three-pointers.
Jikari Johnson added 23 points, going 7-16 from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc, as he reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career.
Mateo Esmeraldo continued dishing out assists left and right, handing out 9 assists for the second consecutive game to solidify his position as the top assist leader in the conference and the 8th best in the nation.
THE TEAM
Trevecca put out a balanced offensive prefromance, shooting an impressive 55.9% from the field and 44.8% from three-point range. The Trojans' bench added 12 points, while the team capitalized on 18 points off turnovers. Their dominant second-half performance secured their fifth consecutive win, tying the program's best streak in history, while also propelling them to third place in the GSC standings after Montevallo suffered a home loss to second-seeded Valdosta State.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will look to carry their momentum into their next game as they visit Union (5-5, 9-7 GSC) on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
