MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The third-seeded Trinity College Men's Basketball team knocked off second-seeded Tufts University, 80-70, in the semifinals of the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, hosted at Wesleyan University, Saturday afternoon. The Bantams improve to 24-2 on the season, while the Jumbos sit at 20-5 overall.
 
What Happened:

• The Bantams secured an early 12-4 lead at the 16:33 mark of the first half behind eight straight points from Drew Lazarre. Tufts used six points from James Morakis to trim the gap to 20-15 midway through the first half.
• Leading 26-22, David Ayles and Henry Vetter canned back-to-back triples to help expand the lead to 32-24 with 6:05 on the clock. The Bantams outscored the Jumbos, 8-3, over the final two minutes of the first half to hold a 47-38 lead at the break.
• Tristan Davis poured in seven points over the opening three minutes of the second half to put Trinity ahead, 57-44. Ayles sandwiched a pair of layups around a jumper from Jarrel Okorougo to set the score at 63-49 with 14:54 to play.
• The Jumbos mounted a rally behind five points from Morakis and four points from Joshua Bernstein to close the gap to 65-61 with 7:32 remaining.
• Holding a 71-66 lead with less than four minutes to play, the Bantmas utilized three-point efforts from Vetter and Lazarre to pull away 77-66 with 1:31 to play. Berry and Vetter helped seal the 80-70 victory from the free throw line.

 
Inside the Numbers:

• The Bantams shot 39.7% (27-of-68) from the field, including 36% (9-of-25) from three-point range, and 85% (17-of-20) from the foul line.
• The Jumbos connected on 44% (22-of-50) from the floor, 33.3% (7-of-21) from beyond the arc, and 73.1% (19-of-26) from the free throw stripe.
• Rebounds: Trinity 38, Tufts 33
• Steals: Trinity 8, Tufts 4
• Turnovers: Trinity 4, Tufts 13
• Points off Turnovers: Trinity 19, Tufts 4
• Points in the Paint: Tufts 30, Trinity 26
• Bench Points: Tufts 26, Trinity 14
• Trinity had four scorers in double figures, paced by 16-point performances from Vetter and Lazarre. Vetter shot 4-of-7 from long range with three rebounds and three assists, while Lazarre tacked on five rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.
• Okorougo tallied 14 points with a game-high nine rebounds, and Ayles had 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Davis chipped in nine points and six rebounds
• Bernstein led the Jumbos with a game-high 18 points, eight rebounds, a game-high five blocks, three assists and two steals.
• Morakis registered 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Ricardo Nieves had 10 points and four rebounds.

 
Up Next:

• The Bantams will return to the hardwood when they battle top-seeded Wesleyan University (21-5) in the Championship Game on Sunday, March 1 at 12:00 p.m.
• Trinity is seeking to become the second program in NESCAC history to win three-straight NESCAC Men's Basketball titles (Amherst 2012-15).
• All-time, the Bantams hold a 100-99 record against the Cardinals, dating back to their first meeting during the 1907-08 season.
• Trinity is looking to avenge a 64-62 loss to Wesleyan earlier this season with the Bantams winning four of the last six games between the squads.