HARTFORD, Conn. – The fourth-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team upended visiting Keene State College, 93-78, in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship at Oosting Gymnasium Saturday night. The Bantams improve to 26-3 on the season, reaching the 26-win plateau for the second time in program history (2023-24). The Owls wrap with a 23-6 record.

With the win, the Bantams advance to NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Sweet 16 Round in back-to-back seasons, and for the fifth time in program history. Trinity will face Western New England next weekend, with the winner squaring off with the winner of Roanoke versus Catholic.

Four Bantams logged double-digits in points, paced by a game-high 29 points, four rebounds and three assists from junior Henry Vetter. Junior Jarrel Okorougo logged his third double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while classmate Drew Lazarre came up a rebound shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Jared Berry netted 12 points off the bench and senior Will Dorion dished out a game-high four assists.

Keene State junior Ryan Blakey led the Owls with a team-high 19 points, four rebounds and three assists, while senior Octavio Brito registered 18 points, a team-high six rebounds and a game-high four assists. Fifth-year Mason Jean Baptiste added 11 points and two assists in the loss. 

The Bantams secured a 10-4 lead in the opening five minutes of action as Vetter and Lazarre netted three points apiece. The Owls used five points from Blakey to trim the gap to 12-9 with 12:25 on the clock. A driving layup from Berry rebuilt an 18-11 lead for Trinity. Leading 20-16, the Bantams ripped a 12-5 run, powered by three straight treys from Vetter and Dorion, to extend the advantage to 32-21 with less than six remaining in the half. Both sides netted four points in the final minutes to set the score at 36-25 at the break.

Vetter and Lazarre knocked down three-pointers to help Trinity escort the lead to 45-29, but the Owl battled back with a 17-7 run, fueled by nine points from Brito to close the gap to 52-46 with 12:24 to play. Triples from senior Spencer Aronson, junior Liam Johnston and Blakey brought Keene State within a possession, 64-62, but the Bantams fended off Keene State with a 14-6 run, powered by seven straight points from Vetter, to harness a 78-68 lead with less than three minutes to play. Trinity knocked down 12 free throws over the final minutes to secure the 93-78 win.

The Bantams owned the Owls on the glass, 44-31, while Keene State held the edge in the paint, 30-22, and off the bench, 30-18. Trinity shot 24-of-58 (41.4%) from the field, including 11-of-28 (39.3%) from three-point range, and 34-of-40 (85%) from the foul line. The Owls converted 26-of-65 (40%) from the floor, 10-of-30 (33.3%) from three-point, and 16-of-20 (80%) from the free throw stripe. TRINITY ATHLETICS