Trinity (1-0) trailed 25-38 at the half, and the lead jumped to 18 points less than a minute into the second period. The homestanding Marlins still held a 13-point lead (50-37) with 12:46 to play, but the Tigers caught fire with a 17-4 run over the next five minutes to tie the game at 54-54.
Virginia Wesleyan still didn't fall behind, though, rattling off six unanswered points to seemingly regain control of the game with just over five minutes left. Trinity, however, had one more comeback in them, cutting the lead to just one (64-63) on a three-pointer from James Lake with 1:27 left.
Jay Riola made a steal on the next possession, and with 48 seconds left, Trinity took its first lead when Andy Bates nailed a pair of free throws. The Tigers kept it interesting at the end by hitting just two of their next four free throws, giving the Marlins two shots at a game-tying three in the final seconds.
Ross Burt led all scorers with a career-best 21 points on 8-15 shooting in the game, also tying for the team lead with eight rebounds.
Bates finished with 18 points on 6-11 shooting, while Lake had 10 points and three assists. Mike Gilb pulled down eight rebounds, while Mitch Walker and Brandon York had three assists each.
Trinity shot 42.9% from the field, including 50% (14-28) in the second half. The Tigers hit 6-11 (54.5%) from beyond the arc after halftime. The Marlins hit 40.7% shooting, missing all nine three-point attempts in the second period.
Trinity will face North Carolina Wesleyan at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.