HARTFORD, Conn. - Senior tri-captain
Donald Jorden Jr. (Tampa, Fla.) had 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 51-32 victory over the visiting Hamilton College Continentals in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's basketball action this afternoon on Ogrodnik Court in Oosting Gymnasium. Trinity's defense held Hamilton to 13 field goals in 59 attempts (22%) and just two 3-pointers in 22 tries (9%), and the Bantams outrebounded the bigger Continentals, 47-36. Trinity improves to 13-8 overall and closes its NESCAC schedule at 4-5 with its third win in a row with just a non-conference road game left at Elms on Tuesday remaining on the regular-season schedule. Hamilton closes the regular season with three consecutive setbacks. Both teams will compete open NESCAC Championship Tournament next weekend.
Both defenses were intense in the first half and the teams combined for just 38 points before halftime with Trinity leading, 20-18, thanks to a short jumper at the buzzer by Jorden. Trinity junior guard
C.J. Redd (Peekskill, N.Y.) had a team-high seven points at the break, while Hamilton's Liam Regan led all scorers at halftime with eight. The Bantams clamped down in the second half and allowed just two points in the first 15 minutes of the second stanza. The Trinity lead increased from 22-20 to 40-22, as Jorden and fellow senior tri-captain
Darius Lue (Tampa, Fla.) both scored eight points during the 18-2 run. The Bantams went ahead by as many as 23 later in the second half when Redd drilled a long trey to make it, 51-28, with 1:345 on the clock.
Redd joined Jorden in double figures in scoring with a game-high 13 points, while sophomore
Gilbert Otoo (Burtonsville, Md.) grabbed seven rebounds, and rookie guard
Will Dorion (Needham, Mass.) dished five assists. Dorion, junior
Dana Smith (Providence, R.I.), and sophomore
Ben Callahan-Gold (New York, N.Y.) each added six rebounds for Trinity. No Continentals scored in double figures, as Regan was held scoreless in the second half. Connor Rood pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and Elliott Tirbaso scored seven points for the Continentals.
