HARTFORD, Conn. – The third-seeded Trinity College Men's Basketball team will face second-seeded Tufts University in the Semifinals of the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Basketball Championship at Silloway Gymnasium on the campus of Wesleyan University on Saturday, February 28 at 4:30 p.m.
 
Bantam Bytes:

• The Bantams earned their third straight trip to the semifinals, and fifth appearance in seven seasons, after fending off sixth-seeded Bowdoin College, 64-63, in the opening round.
• The Bantams checked in at #2 in the Nation in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
• Jared Berry helped led Trinity to the quarterfinal victory after netting a game-high 22 points with five rebounds.
• Henry Vetter added 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, Jarrel Okorougo tallied nine points and nine rebounds and Drew Lazarre chipped in eight rebounds and five points in the win.
• Offensively, the Bantams are the top team in the conference, generating a league-high 84.6 points per game, behind a league-high 47.2 field goal percentage.
• Trinity is shooting 35.3% from long-range, hitting nearly eight triples per game, and 69.6% from the foul line.
• On the glass, the Bantams are grabbing 41 rebounds per game, including a league-high 14.4 offensive rebounds per game.
• Defensively, Trinity leads the conference in turnover margin (9.20), committing a league-low 249 turnovers, while forcing 479 turnovers, 11^th most in the Nation.
• The Bantams rank second in the country in scoring defense, allowing 58.4 points, and field goal percentage defense (36.5), and eighth in steals per game (12.4).
• Okorougo ranks sixth in the conference in scoring (15.7) and ninth in rebounding (6.6) while shooting 49.1% from the floor.
• In the NESCAC, Vetter ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (2.0), fourth in steals (44), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (39.3), fifth in assists (73), ninth in scoring (13.9), and tenth in field goal percentage (47.3).
• Lazarre is producing 10.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game with a league-high 62 steals, 59 assists and 20 blocks.

 
Scouting the Jumbos:

• Tufts enters the semifinals with a 20-4 record after taking down seventh-seeded Colby College, 99-84, in the quarterfinals.
• The Jumbos are making their fourth straight appearance in the semifinals.
• The Jumbos sit at #9 in the latest edition of the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
• Tufts shot 53.4 percent from the field to cruise past the Mules with 46 points in the paint and converted 20 fast-break points. 
• Scott Gyimesi poured in 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds en route to Player of the Week honors, while Jon Medley chipped in 16 points and four assists for Tufts, while Ricardo Nieves added 12 points off the bench and Joshua Bernstein contributed 10 points and seven assists.
• As a team, the Jumbos ranks second in the league in scoring (80.5), scoring margin (14.5), assists (16.04) and field goal percentage (46.3), including a 34.1% from long-range.
• Defensively, Tufts paces the conference in blocks (136) with 7.5 steals per game, while holding opponents to 66.0 points per game with a .387 clip  from the floor.
• Opponents are shooting 33.3% from three-points, tied for the third-highest mark in the conference.
• The Jumbos rank third in steals (180), fourth in rebounding (40.8), and sixth in free throw percentage (71.1).
• Gyimesi is averaging nearly a double-double, leading the league in rebounding (9.8) and ranking fourth in scoring (16.4).
• Gyimesi is shooting 56.0% from the floor, third-best in the conference, with 2.7 assists and 1.0 blocks.
• Bernstein leads the NESCAC in field goal percentage (65.0) and blocks (42), and ranks second in rebounding (8.8),
• Medley is adding 10.8 points with 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, fourth-best mark in the league.
• Dylan Reilly and Zion Watts are contributing 9.8 and 8.8 points per game, respectively, and have combined for a .363 mark from three-point range (92-253).

 
History:

• 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.
• Last season, the Bantams posted a 74-51 victory over the Jumbos in the NESCAC Championship Semifinal at Wesleyan.