FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Trinity College Men's Basketball team wrapped the most successful season in program history, falling to Trine University, 66-54, in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Thursday night.

The Bantams finished their campaign with a 30-2 record, the first 30-win season in program history. Trine improved to 28-4 overall.

Sophomore Jarrel Okorougo scored a team-high 11 points with six rebounds and three steals. Junior Will Dorion added 10 points with two assists and two steals, while senior Ben Callahan-Gold grabbed a team-high nine rebounds with nine points.

Trine was paced by the duo of Cortez Garland and Fred Garland, who netted a game-high 12 points apiece. Aidan Smylie registered a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds and 10 points in the win.

The Bantams held a slim lead early in the contest as a jumper from Callahan-Gold put Trinity ahead 8-6 with 16:15 on the clock. Tied at 10-10 at the 12:35 mark, Trine created separation with a 14-4 run over the next six minutes to build a 24-14 advantage. Trine maintained a double-digit lead to close out the first half with a 38-26 lead.

The Bantams defense locked down the Thunder to open the second half, limiting Trine to six points over the first seven minutes as Trinity used a 14-6 run to trim the gap to 44-40 with 13:00 to play. A bucket from first year Jared Berry put the Bantams within a possession, 46-43, at the 9:38 mark. The Thunder used an 8-0 run to pad their lead to 54-43 with 5:42 on the clock. The Bantams set the score at 54-48 with 3:21 remaining, but the Thunder closed the game on a 12-6 run to capture the 66-54 win.

The squads were even in the rebounding column, 38-38. Trinity connected on 19-of-62 (30.6%) from the floor, including 2-of-16 (12.5%) from beyond the arc, and 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the free throw line. Trine shot 23-of-54 (42.6%) from the field, 2-of-11 (18.2%) from three-point range, and 18-of-23 (78.3%) from the charity stripe.
 

TRINITY ATHLETICS