WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – For the first time since 2008, the Trinity College Men's Basketball team won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Basketball Championship with a 59-52 victory over top-seeded Williams College at Chandler Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
The Bantams move to 26-1 on the season and will await their seeding in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship selection show will be broadcast at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, February 26.
Trinity had three scorers in double figures, led by a game-high 19 points, four rebounds and two assists from sophomore Henry Vetter. Graduate Dana Smith tallied 15 points with six rebounds, while senior Ben Callahan-Gold added 13 points with a team-high seven rebounds. During the contest, Callahan-Gold became the 31st player in program history to reach the 1,000-career point plateau. Sophomore Jarrel Okorougo chipped in seven points, six rebounds, and four steals in the win.
Alex Stoddard paced the Ephs attack with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Alex Lee recorded 11 points, and Brandon Roughley netted 10 points. Nate Karren grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for Williams (21-6).
Points came at a premium early in the contest as the sides combined for nine points in the opening six minutes of action. Williams used a 9-0 run to possess a 13-5 advantage, but the Bantams responded with a 12-2 run, capped by a three-pointer from Callahan-Gold at the 6:07 mark to put Trinity on top, 17-15. The Ephs closed the first half on a 10-0 run to take a 25-17 lead into halftime.
Trinity kicked off the second half on a 15-6 run with a three-point play from Vetter regaining a 32-31 lead for the Bantams at the 13:09 mark. Trailing 36-34, Vetter knocked down a three-pointer to give Trinity a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Bantams began to pull away with a 9-1 run, featuring four points from Dana Smith, to expand the lead to 45-38 with 5:17 to play. A triple from Stoddard trimmed the gap to one possession, 47-44, but Trinity used a 8-0 run to rebuild a double-digit lead, 55-44, with 1:17 remaining. The Bantams held off the Ephs from the free throw line en route to the program's second NESCAC Championship with a 59-52 win.
The Ephs outrebounded the Bantams, 36-32, while Trinity controlled the paint, 24-6, during the contest. The Bantams connected on 20-of-55 (36.4%) from the field, 6-of-25 (24.0%) from three-point range, and 13-of-22 (59.1%) from the free throw line. Williams shot 18-of-46 (39.1%) from the floor, 7-of-20 (35.0%) from three-point, and 9-of-13 (69.2%) from the charity stripe.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
