Hartford, Conn. – Sophomore center George Papadeas (Athens, Greece) scored a team-high 18 points and added a game-high eight rebounds to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 69-67 victory over the visiting Bowdoin College Polar Bears in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's basketball action this afternoon on Stan Ogrodnik Court in Ray Oosting Gymnasium.  The Bantams improves to 8-10 overall and 2-3 in the NESCAC with their first win in three games and their first win over Bowdoin since the 2008 NESCAC Finals.  Bowdoin drops to 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the league with its third straight setback.

With the game tied at 61-61 with 2:34 remaining after a jumper by Bowdoin junior guard Matt Mathias (Baltimore, Md.), Papadeas hit a layup and freshman guard Jaquann Starks (Hartford, Conn.) drilled a three-pointer from the right win to give Trinity a 66-61 lead.  Polar Bear junior guard Andrew Madlinger (Basking Ridge, N.J.) made three free throws and a three-pointer down the stretch, sandwiched around a pair from the charity stripe by Trinity sophomore guard Hart Gliedman (New York, N.Y.) and Trinity clung to a 68-67 lead with 30 seconds left.  Trinity senior captain Mick DiStasio (Yarmouth, Maine) sank one of two free throws, and Bantam sophomore Mickel Simpson (Woburn, Mass.) blocked Madlinger's bid for a tie from the left side with seven seconds on the clock. 

Trinity used a 12-3 run early to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 21-13 lead, as sophomore forward Alex Conaway (New Haven, Conn.) scored five point during the spurt.  Bowdoin fought back, tying the score at 27-27 with five minutes left on a bucket by junior center John Swords (Sudbury, Mass.) and taking the lead back at 30-29 with 4:13 on the clock on a trey by Mathias.  Leading, 35-34, at the break, Bowdoin extended its lead to 46-36 after a three-pointer by Hurley five minutes into the second half, but tied the contest at 51-51 on a triple from the right wing by rookie guard Rick Naylor (Sudbury, Vt.) at the 8:29 mark, and the teams traded leads over the next six minutes.

DiStasio finished with nine points and three assists, while rookie forward Shay Ajayi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed seven points and five boards off the bench for Trinity.  Mathias paced Bowdoin with 18 points, while Madlinger totaled 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Swords and Max Staiger (West Caldwell, N.J.) scored 10 points apiece.  Both teams shot over 50 percent from the finals but the teams combined to miss 17 of 42 free throws.  Trinity finished with a 29-22 edge on the boards.

box score