HARTFORD, Conn. – The third-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team defeated visiting Suffolk University, 70-56, in the Championship Game of the 2024 Trinity College Men's Basketball Holiday Tournament, held at Oosting Gymnasium Tuesday afternoon. The Bantams rise to 11-0 on the season, while the Rams dip to 7-3 overall.
 
Trinity junior Henry Vetter led the Bantams offense with a game-high 22 points, connecting on 6-of-11 attempts, with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Sophomore Jared Berry generated 15 points, two rebounds and a steal off the bench, while senior Will Dorion added seven points and three rebounds. Senior Sean Macarchuk and junior Drew Lazarre chipped in six points apiece, and Lazarre and junior Jarrel Okorougo grabbed a team-high six rebounds in the win.
 
Suffolk was paced by the duo of sophomore Nick Verdile and senior Keenan Robertson, who netted 15 points each. Robertson added a game-high eight rebounds, while senior Jake Gomez tallied eight points and six rebounds. Graduate Danny Yardemian recorded nine points, five rebounds and a game-high five assists.
 
The Bantams edged the Rams on the glass, 34-28, in the paint, 36-22, and off the bench, 30-3. Trinity converted 25-of-60 (41.7%) from the field, 7-of-26 (26.9%) from three-point range, and 13-of-15 (86.7%) from the foul line. Suffolk shot 21-of-53 (39.6%) from the floor, 9-of-30 (30%) from three-point, and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the charity stripe.
 
The sides exchanged the lead over the opening minutes of the first half until a pair of buckets from Lazarre helped Trinity double-up the Rams, 10-5, with 13:04 on the clock. The Rams trimmed the deficit to a two-possession game on buckets from Robertson, but the Bantams created separation with an 11-2 run over the next five-plus minutes to harness a 27-14 advantage. Suffolk wrapped the period on an 8-3 run to close the gap to 30-22 at the break.
 
The Rams maintained their momentum into the second half as a three-pointer from Verdile set the score at 30-29 with 17:30 to play. Eight points from Vetter helped the Bantams push the lead back to 43-35 at the 13:14 mark, but the Rams refused to quit, utilizing triples from Yardemian and senior Devin Dzikas to pull within a possession, 43-41. Trinity pulled away for good with a 10-2 run, powered by five-point efforts from Berry and first-year David Ayles, to extend the advantage to 53-43. Vetter knocked down a pair of free throws with 2:30 remaining to give the Bantams their largest lead of the game, 68-54, and then added a late layup to secure the 70-56 victory.
 
Vetter and Okorougo received All-Tournament Team honors, joining Yardemian, sophomore Jackson Casey (Geneseo) and senior Aidan Callahan (WPI).
 
The Bantams will be back in action with a non-conference road trip to Babson College (6-4) for a tip Saturday, January 4 at 1:30 p.m.