NASHVILLE, Tennessee - After a slow start, the Walsh Cavaliers men's basketball team used a first half run to defeat the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans 67-46 on Monday (Jan. 4) night. With a key defensive effort and big performances by a few players, the Cavaliers improved to 2-0 overall in the young season. 

Score: Walsh 67, Trevecca Nazarene 46
Location: Nashville, Tennesee (Trojan FieldHouse)
Records: Walsh 2-0 (2-0), Trevecca Nazarene 2-6 (2-5)
 
The short story: Trevecca Nazarene opened the game with a 7-2 lead in the first four minutes. Over the next six minutes, Walsh used an 11-0 run to take a 13-7 lead with 9:43 left in the first half. The Cavaliers outscored the Trojans 22-6 in the remainder of the first half as Walsh took a 35-16 lead into the locker room. Another 10-3 run by the Cavaliers in the first four minutes of the second half pushed the advantage to 26 points. Walsh led by as many as 30 points, finishing the contest with a 21-point win. 
 
OPENING TIP 

• Luke Howes went off in just his second contest at the collegiate level. The freshmen tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block in 32 minutes. He made eight of 15 shots overall and connected on three of six three pointers. In the first half alone, Howes accounted for ten points and seven rebounds. 
• Darryl Straughter used five field goals (one three pointer) for a 13-point effort. The senior converted both free throw attempts as well. 
• Milan Square gave the Cavaliers 13 points off the bench, setting a career-high. He added three triples on four attempts while shooting five-of-six from the floor. 
• Garrison Keeslar and Mark Kostelac each scored six points in the Monday night affair. 

THE DIFFERENCE

• Walsh held Trevecca to 16 points in the first half on four-of-24 shooting (16.7%). The Trojans did not convert a field goal in the final 5:19 of the first half. Trevecca was two-of-13 from deep in the opening 20 minutes. 

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

• Walsh finished with a 45% (27-60) field goal percentage compared to 28% (14-50) for Trevecca Nazarene. 
• The Cavaliers held the rebounding edge over Trevecca Nazarene 37-34 with both teams grabbing ten offensive rebounds each. 
• Trevecca turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 20 Walsh points. The Cavaliers only made nine turnovers in the contest, with two in the first half. 

NOTABLE

• Walsh is now 6-1 against the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans in the series, with three straight wins. 
• Darryl Straughter is now 15th overall in all-time scoring with 1,380 points, surpassing Ray Dungen. 

NEXT UP

• Walsh will wrap up the three-game road trip with a contest at Hillsdale on Friday (Jan. 8) night. The Cavaliers and Chargers will tip-off at 7:30 PM at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. 

-WC-