HARTFORD, Conn. – The fourth-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team used a strong second half to defeat visiting Bowdoin College, 82-54, in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) game at Ray Oosting Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The Bantams wrap the regular season with a 22-2 record with an 8-2 mark in conference, while the Polar Bears finish at 15-9 and 5-5.
 
What Happened:

• Prior to the game, the Bantams honored their departing Class of 2026: Paul Jordan, Drew Lazarre, Trevor McDonald, Jarrel Okorougo and Henry Vetter.
• Trinity raced to an 11-2 lead in the opening four minutes behind six points from Lazarre, but Bowdoin responded with an 11-4 run to pull within a possession, 15-13, at the 12:30 mark.
• The Bantams extended their lead to 25-15 following back-to-back treys from Paul Ippolito, but another 10-2 run from the Polar Bears kept things close at 27-25 with 6:40 on the clock. Trinity outscored Bowdoin, 10-4, down the stretch to hold a 37-29 advantage at the break.
• Trinity put the game away early in the second half, ripping off a 20-6 run, powered by nine points from Okorougo and seven points from Vetter, to harness a 57-35 lead with 12:57 to play.
• Jared Berry netted five points, along with four points from David Ayles, to help escort the Trinity lead to 68-40 with 7:42 remaining. McDonald scored seven points to fuel an 11-6 Bantams run that swelled the lead to 77-43 en route to the 82-54 win.

 
Inside the Numbers:

• The Bantams shot 44.6% (29-of-65) from the floor, including 26.1% (6-of-23) from three-point range, and 69.2% (18-of-26) from the free throw line.
• The Polar Bears connected on 34% (18-of-53) from the field, 41.2% (7-of-17) from long range, and 50% (11-of-22) from the foul line.
• Rebounds: Trinity 45, Bowdoin 32
• Steals: Trinity 14, Bowdoin 5
• Turnovers: Trinity 11, Bowdoin 20
• Points off Turnovers: Trinity 19, Bowdoin 12
• Points in the Paint: Trinity 40, Bowdoin 16
• Bench Points: Trinity 34, Bowdoin 13
• Okorougo led the Bantams attack with a team-high 19 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, with seven rebounds.
• Ippolito poured in 13 points and two rebounds off the bench, while Berry tallied 11 points and seven rebounds.
• McDonald tallied nine points with a season-high eight rebounds and a career-high three steals.
• Ray Cuevas paced the Polar Bears with a game-high 21 points with a team-high six rebounds. Mason Dawkins added nine points, two rebounds and two steals.

 
Up Next:

• The Bantams will wait to learn their seeding in the NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship once play concludes on Sunday.
• The Quarterfinals of the Championship Tournament will begin on Saturday, February 21 with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds. The highest remaining seed will host the Semifinals and Championship Game the following weekend.