LEWISTON, Me. – The thirteenth-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team defeated Bates College, 71-44, on the road Friday evening in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) matchup. With the win, the Bantams improve to 19-3 on the season and 6-2 in NESCAC play, while the Bobcats drop to 1-6 in conference and 10-11 overall.

Trinity had four players score in double figures, led by 19 points from sophomore Jared Berry. Junior Jarrel Okorougo added 14 points and 10 rebounds, registering his second double-double of the season and the fifth of his career. Junior Henry Vetter contributed 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while classmate Drew Lazarre chipped in 12 points, three rebounds, and three steals.

Senior Brady Coyne paced the Bobcats with 15 points, shooting 40% from the field, 57.1% from beyond the arc, and 60% from the free-throw line. Keenan Sparks went a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line, while Cole Decker grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Trinity dominated the first half, outscoring Bates 32-18. The Bantams led for the entire first half, matching the Bobcats' total points in the paint (18) and adding six points off turnovers and two from steals. Trinity shot 45.2% from the floor, while Bates struggled at just 17.9%. Both teams made four three-pointers, and each team recorded six points from their bench. Trinity's largest lead of the half was 14 points, thanks to a last-second three from Lazarre, giving the Bantams a 32-18 advantage heading into halftime.

Lazarre extended the lead to 16 with a pull-up jumper just 20 seconds into the second half. Bates responded with a 12-2 run, closing the gap to 40-30 at the 15:51 mark. However, Trinity shut down the Bobcats' offense, allowing just 14 more points for the remainder of the game. The Bantams shot over 50% from the field (14-27, 51.9%) and beyond the arc (5-8, 62.5%) in the second half to seal the 71-44 victory.

Trinity dominated the statistical categories, out rebounding Bates 40-33, controlling the paint 32-8, winning the bench battle 25-10, and out-blocking the Bobcats 7-3. The Bantams finished 28-of-58 (48.3%) from the field, including 9-of-22 (40.9%) from three-point range, and 6-of-8 (75.0%) from the free-throw line. Bates shot 13-of-55 (23.6%) from the field, 7-of-32 (21.9%) from beyond the arc, and 11-of-16 (68.8%) from the foul line.

Next up, the Bantams will aim for another conference victory when they visit Colby College (13-8, 4-3 NESCAC) on Saturday, February 14th, at 7:00 p.m.

TRINITY ATHLETICS