NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Trinity College Women's Basketball team fell to host United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), 78-77, in overtime, in a non-conference matchup at Roland Gymnasium Wednesday night. The Bantams dip to 5-2 on the season, while the Bears improve to 6-1 overall.
 
Trinity had three players in double-figures, led by sophomore Olivia Vick with a team-high 18 points and three rebounds. Sophomore Madi Forman registered her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with a career-high five blocks. Junior Theresa Twardosky added 10 points, junior Melissa Whitmore grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, and junior Samantha Slofkiss chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.
 
USCGA junior Dorothy Stotts powered the Bears offense with a game-high 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Senior Julia Mann recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Kelly Hagerty tallied 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
 
The back-and-forth first quarter featured nine lead changes as Trinity grabbed a 10-8 lead behind a pair of buckets from Vick and a three-point from Twardosky. A three-pointer from Stotts regained a 13-12 lead for Coast Guard at the 3:32 mark, but the Bantams closed the period on an 8-2 run to grab a 21-15 advantage.
 
Back-to-back baskets from sophomore Avery Marzo expanded the Trinity lead to 27-15 early in the second quarter. After a pair of triples by the Bears trimmed the gap to 29-21 at the 7:40 mark, the Bantams rattled off a 16-5 run over the next five minutes, featuring four-point efforts from Forman, Slofkiss and sophomore Kiki Fossbender, to possess a 47-26 lead. Trinity took a 47-32 lead into halftime.
 
The Bears began working at the deficit with a 7-4 run as a three-point play from Stotts set the score at 51-39. Trinity prevented Coast Guard from pulling within single digits, utilizing an 11-5 run, paced by four points from Twardosky and Vick, to harness a 62-44 lead entering the fourth quarter.
 
Coast Guard dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bantams, 27-9 during the period. The Bears executed a 14-3 run over the opening four minutes to erase the gap to 65-58 with 5:56 to play. A pair of buckets from Hagerty and a layup from Stotts put Coast Guard within a possession, 65-64. Trinity used buckets from Whitmore and Avery Marzo to hold a 71-68, but a three-pointer from Stotts with eight seconds to play sent the contest into overtime.
 
The Bears would take advantage of Bantams fouls to win the game from the free throw line, converting 5-of-6 attempts. Hagerty opened the bonus period with a pair of free throws to give USCGA their first lead since the first period, 73-71, but baskets from Slofkiss and Vick regained a 75-73 lead for Trinity. Mann sandwiched free throws and a layup around a jumper from Bantams junior Lucy Dorion to even the score at 77-77, but Stotts knocked down the game-winning free throw with two seconds to play to seal the 78-77 win.
 
The Bantams controlled the rebounding column, 53-41, points in the paint, 42-20, and bench points, 31-13. Trinity connected on 33-of-83 (39.8%) from the field, 6-of-28 (21.4%) from three-point range and 5-of-10 (50%) from the free throw stripe. Coast Guard shot 26-of-70 (37.1%) from the floor, 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three-point and 19-of-21 (90.5%) from the foul line. The Bantams set a new program record for field goal attempts in a game (83), besting the mark of 80 field goals attempted against University of Saint Joseph's on January 8, 1998.
 
The Bantams will be back in action when they host Stevens at Oosting Gymnasium Saturday, December 7 at 3:00 p.m.
 
TRINITY ATHLETICS