Brunswick, Maine - Bowdoin College Polar Bear first-year Ryan O'Connell scored a career-high 14 points in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's basketball victory over the visiting Trinity College Bantams, 65-46, this afternoon.  The Polar Bears improve to 12-6 overall and 2-3 in the NESCAC, while the Bantams drop to 6-12 overall and 2-3 in the league.

In a rematch of last year's NESCAC Championship game, the Polar Bears jumped out to a 31-24 halftime lead thanks to red-hot shooting from the field. Bowdoin connected on 63.6% of their shots in the opening period and were sparked by eight points off the bench from Darian Reid-Sturgis, who highlighted a key 11-3 run that gave the hosts the lead for good.

In the second half, Bowdoin connected on six three-pointers to pull away from the Bantams. Mike Hauser buried a pair of trifectas before O'Connell netted a trio of three-pointers in a three-minute span to push the Bowdoin lead to 23 points, 52-29, with 10:56 remaining.

O'Connell finished 5-6 from the field while Reid-Sturgis added 14 points and six rebounds for Bowdoin. Trinity, who was held to a season-low 46 points, was led by 17 from senior co-captain Paul Rowe (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and 10 off the bench from sophomore guard Brian Ford (Bronx, N.Y.).  For the game, Bowdoin's bench outscored Trinity's 34-16.

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