Ashley Carson (Winchester, TN/Franklin County) and Nichole Sly (Niles, MI/Niles) scored 11 points each and Staci Funkhouser (McCordsville, IN/Mount Vernon) and Courtney Simpson (Nappanee, IN/NorthWood) chipped in with ten apiece as IU South Bend (8-11, 0-1) built a 16-point lead midway through the second half, then held on for a 59-58 win over Trinity International.

From the get-go, the Titans jumped out to a lead, eventually stretching their advantage to as many as nine on an Emily Strilich (Valparaiso, IN/Boone Grove) jumper with just under five minutes to play in the opening half - a basket that capped a 9-0 run which broke a 14-all tie. The Trojans closed the gap to four points down the stretch of the half, but Carson connected on a triple from the right wing to give IU South Bend a 30-23 lead into the half.

Out of the break, the Titans held onto their lead and found themselves with a five point edge, at 34-29 just shy of four minutes into the stanza. From there, IU South Bend embarked on a 19-8 run, highlighted by eight consecutive points by Carson - all coming on three straight possessions - and immediately followed by seven straight from Sly, again also coming on three consecutive possessions.

Midway through the period, however, the Titans went cold. From the ten-minute mark until 5:09 remaining, they would go without a point, before Funkhouser hit a driving runner to put Titans back on the board. Most of the TIU damage had been done, though, as they scored 14 straight points - part of an 18-2 run overall - and eventually grabbed the lead at 56-55 on a banked-in three-pointer by Brittany Simon.

Strilich had the answer for the Titans, however, scoring on a driving shot to take the lead back. Sly connected on the next possession for IU South Bend to give the Titans a three-point lead before TIU got a steal and score to pull within one.

With the clock running down and the Titans still holding a one-point lead, Strilich was stripped in the lane, setting up the final possession for the Trojans. After holding the ball for the final shot, TIU was unable to get a clean look at the basket, as Cassie Glendenning was forced to put up a contested shot from the left baseline, and Carson came down with the final rebound to seal the win.

Strilich led the way on the boards with 11 rebounds for the Titans.

The Titans return to action on Saturday, January 21, when they host Holy Cross. Tip-off is set for 12:00 PM (EST).