HARTFORD, Conn. – The third-seeded Trinity College Men's Basketball team used a second-half rally to fend off visiting Bowdoin College, 64-63, in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinal matchup at Ray Oosting Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 23-2 on the season, while the Polar Bears wrap with a 15-10 mark.
 
What Happened:

• The Polar Bears led for the entirety of the first half, grabbing a 7-0 lead in the opening four minutes of play. Trailing 14-8 with 11:00 on the clock, the Bantams used a five-point spurt from Jared Berry over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 19-17.
• Six points from Henry Vetter gave the Bantams their first lead, 28-27, with 1:18 remaining, but Bowdoin used three points from Mason Watkins to take a 30-28 lead into halftime.
• Vetter opened the second half with five points, followed by a three-pointer from Drew Lazarre to put Trinity ahead 36-32 with 17:59 remaining. A triple from Vetter extended the lead to 43-36, but the Polar Bears responded with an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to regain a 47-45 advantage.
• Down 51-50, Berry and Jarrel Okorougo combined for eight points to put the Bantams on top, 58-53, but five points from Ray Cuevas helped Bowdoin even the score at 58-58 with 3:21 to play.
• Berry ripped off six consecutive points for Trinity to rebuild a 64-60 advantage with 1:17 on the clock. With 15 seconds remaining, Cuevas connected on a three-pointer from the corner and drew a foul, giving the Polar Bears a chance to tie the game. Cuevas missed the free throw, and a putback attempt from Watkins was off the mark, allowing Okorougo to secure the loose ball and the 64-63 victory.

 
Inside the Numbers:

• The Bantams connected on 36.9% (24-of-65) from the floor, 22.7% (5-of-22) from three-point range, and 73.3% (11-of-15) from the foul line.
• The Polar Bears shot 37.5% (21-of-56) from the field, 20.8% (5-of-24) from beyond the arc, and 57.1% (16-of-28) from the free throw stripe.
• Rebounds: Trinity 43, Bowdoin 38
• Steals: Bowdoin 7, Trinity 4
• Turnovers: Bowdoin 14, Trinity 12
• Points off Turnovers: Trinity 11, Bowdoin 8
• Points in the Paint: Trinity 30, Bowdoin 30
• Bench Points: Trinity 28, Bowdoin 15
• Berry fell one point shy of matching his career high with 22 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor, with five rebounds.
• Vetter added 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, Okorougo tallied nine points and nine rebounds and Lazarre chipped in eight rebounds and five points in the win.
• Cuevas led the Polar Bears with a team-high 17 points with four rebounds and three steals, while Kevin Reeves registered 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

 
Up Next:

• The Bantams will be back on the court for the NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals against second-seeded Tufts University (20-4) at Wesleyan University on Saturday, February 28 at 4:30 p.m.
• Trinity is making their third straight trip to the conference semifinals, and five appearance in the last seven seasons.
• All-time, the Bantams own a 50-39 record against the Jumbos, dating back to their first meeting during the 1905-06 season.
• Earlier this season, Trinity fell to Tufts, 68-62, on the road, but have won five of their last six matchups.