HARTFORD, Conn. – The #1-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team grabbed a 75-64 victory over visiting Western New England University in a non-conference clash at Ray Oosting Gymnasium Wednesday night. The Bantams rise to 17-0, while the Golden Bears slide to 11-5.
 
What Happened:

• The Bantams held the lead throughout the first half as a putback layup and three free throws from Drew Lazarre put Trinity ahead 9-2 at the 15:19 mark.
• The Golden Bears whittled away at the deficit over the next eight minutes as Eddie McCoy and Nate Kasper combined for 11 points to close the gap to 19-16 with 7:07 on the clock.
• Seven Bantams scored down the stretch, including three-point efforts from Lazarre, David Ayles, and Jared Berry, to push the Trinity advantage to 35-26 at the half.
• Trinity clamped down on defense to open the second half, forcing back-to-back turnovers that helped escort the Bantams lead to 41-28. The Bantams offense continued to roll as five points from Lazarre and four points from Jarrel Okorougo pushed the lead to 49-34 with 16:24 on the clock.
• Eight points from Paul Ippolito fueled a 15-8 run by Trinity over the next five minutes to build a 64-42 advantage.
• The Golden Bears attempted to rally late, outscoring the Bantams, 22-11, over the final nine minutes, but the effort came up short as Trinity sealed the 75-64 victory.

 
 
Inside the Numbers:

• The Bantams shot 42.9% (24-of-56) from the field, including 33.3% (6-of-18) from three-point range, and 70% (21-of-30) from the foul line.
• The Golden Bears connected on 33.9% (20-of-59) from the floor, 30% (9-of-30) from beyond the arc, and 65.2% (15-of-23) from the free throw stripe.
• Rebounds: Trinity 46, Western New England 32
• Turnovers: Trinity 17, Western New England 13
• Points off Turnovers: Trinity 16, Western New England 16
• Points in the Paint: Trinity 30, Western New England 22
• Bench Points: Trinity 22, Western New England 13
• Lazarre paced the Bantams offense with a team-high 19 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, with seven rebounds.
• Okorougo registered 11 points, a game-high nine rebounds and two assists, while Ippolito netted 11 points off the bench.
• Tristan Davis scored 10 points with four rebounds, and Henry Vetter dished out a game-high seven assists with six points, four steals and three rebounds.
• Avery Mickens powered the Golden Bears with a game-high 25 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Travis Mangual added 11 points and four rebounds.

 
 
Up Next:

• The Bantams will return to the hardwood when they travel to Wesleyan University for a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) battle in Middletown on Saturday, January 24 at 2:00 p.m.
• All-time, Trinity owns a 100-98 record against the Cardinals, dating back to their first meeting during the 1907-08 season.
• Last season, the Bantams took two of three meeting with Wesleyan, including victories in the NESCAC Championship Game (75-67) and the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Semifinal (73-69).