The Trine University basketball teams start the new year in a new home with the opening
of the MTI Center.
The women’s basketball team will be the first to play in the new building on Jan.
3 at 7:30 pm and it will be “Community Hoopla Day” with prizes given away to fans,
including a free t-shirt to the first 400 spectators. There will be halftime activities
that include an opportunity to win a jersey. The Community Hoopla Day game will be
free admission.
The first game inside the MTI Center will feature the top two teams in the Michigan
Intercollegiate Athletic Association and two nationally-ranked squads as the Thunder
women host Hope (Mich.) College.
Both teams split the season meetings last year as the Thunder went on to claim its
first MIAA regular-season championship and eventually the conference tournament title.
Hope and Trine are both ranked in the top-10 nationally in both the D3hoops.com and
Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) polls.
The Trine men will play their first game in the MTI Center on Jan. 10 against Adrian
(Mich.) College at 7:30 pm. It will be the official Grand Opening of the building
with a tailgate prior to the start of the game.
Free t-shirts will also be given away and following the game, there will be a $200
half-court contest. The first fan to make the half-court shot will win the $200 gift
card.
Trine has won six of the last seven meetings against Adrian, including both matchups
a year ago.