Clinton, N.Y. - Freshman Matt Hart tied for a game-high 13 points and the Hamilton College Continentals pulled away in the second half for a 66-48 win against the visiting Trinity College Bantams in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's basketball game at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House this afternoon.  Trinity drops to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in the NESCAC, while the Continentals improve to 8-8 overall and 1-3 in the league while snaping a 13-game losing streak against the Bantams.

Sophomore forward Jamil Ebo (Bloomfield, Conn.) led the Bantams with 13 points. First-year Jaquann Starks (Hartford, Conn.) contributed nine points, all coming in the first half. Senior captain Mick DiStasio (Yarmouith, Maine) passed out a game-high six assists and sophomore forward Alex Conaway (New Haven, Conn.) blocked four shots.  Bradley Gifford dropped in 10 points and tied for a game-high six boards. Peter Kazickas added nine points while Eric Benvenuti '13 and Joseph Lin '15 came off the bench to score nine points as well. Benvenuti knocked down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and Lin dished out three assists.

Trinity built up a 7-4 lead to open the game before Hamilton scored five straight to go up 9-7, capped by Hart completing a three-point play. After Matt Dean knocked down a shot from long range, the Bantams scored eight straight and led 17-12 with 7:18 remaining in the half.  Hamilton answered back, going on a 14-4 run to take a 26-21 lead at 2:23. Gifford and Hart hit back-to-back threes. Kazickas followed that up with a trifecta of his own and two free throws and Lin added a three-point play during the spurt.  Following a jumper for Trinity sophomore guard Hart Gliedman (New York, N.Y.), Benvenuti drained a shot from behind the arc to give Hamilton their largest lead of the first half at 29-23. Starks made two free throws for Trinity for a halftime score of 29-25 in favor of the Continentals. Hamilton was hot from three-point range, shooting 50-percent (5-10) in the opening half.

Leading 33-29, Hamilton got back-to-back threes by Benvenuti to give the Continentals their first double-digit lead of the game. Trinity cut the deficit to 40-33 with 11:23 left to play, but that is the closest the Bantams would get the rest of the game.  The Continentals took their largest lead of the game at 66-46 with 23 seconds remaining following a 9-0 run. Newton made a layup and Hart sunk two shots from the charity stripe. A layup by Jack Donnelly '16 and a trifecta for Luis Serota '16 capped the run. The three four Serota was his first collegiate points.  Hamilton shot 40-percent (20-50) for the game and was an identical 10-for-25 in each half. Trinity shot 32.7-percent (16-49), but only managed to shoot 28.6-percent (6-21) in the second half with no made threes (0-5). The Continentals shot 81.8-percent (18-22) from the free throw line. The Bantams held a slight edge on the glass at 35-33.

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