FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The top-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team advanced to their third straight Final Four after defeating 12th-ranked Tufts University, 69-66, in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships Tournament at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Thursday night. The Bantams rise to 29-2 overall, while the Jumbos finish their campaign with a 23-6 mark.
 
What Happened:

• The Bantams battled out of an early 9-4 hole behind buckets from Henry Vetter, Tristan Davis and a three-point play from Trevor McDonald to even the score at 11-11 with 11:51 on the clock.
• Three-point efforts from Vetter and Davis helped Trinity build a 19-14 lead at the ten-minute mark. Leading 21-20, the Bantams used 7-0 run to create a 28-20 lead, but the Jumbos ripped off a 7-1 run over the final four minutes of the half to trim the Trinity lead to 29-27 at the half.
• The Bantams pushed their lead to 40-33 in the opening minutes of the second half with four points from Jarrel Okorougo and five from Vetter. Trinity utilized a 13-8 run to maintain a 53-41 advantage with 10:24 to play.
• Tufts battled back into the contest with a 12-5 run over the next six minutes to close the gap to 58-53 with 4:42 on the clock. A triple from Drew Lazarre put Trinity ahead 63-55, but the Jumbos rallied again with an 8-2 run to pull within a possession, 65-63, with 1:32 remaining. Jared Berry elevated for a crucial offensive rebound and layup to help Trinity shut down the comeback bid and seal the 69-66 win.

 
Inside the Boxscore:

• The Bantams shot 38.1% (24-of-63) from the field, converting just 1-of-11 three-point attempts, and 69% (20-of-29) from the foul line.
• The Jumbos converted 34.4% (21-of-61) from the floor, 24% (6-of-25) from long-range, and 81.8% (18-of-22) from the charity stripe.
• Rebounds: Trinity 45, Tufts 37
• Steals: Trinity 8, Tufts 4
• Turnovers: Tufts 9, Trinity 8
• Points off Turnovers: Trinity 12, Tufts 8
• Points in the Paint: Trinity 36, Tufts 26
• Bench Points: Trinity 27, Tufts 8
• Vetter paced the Bantams with a team-high 16 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor, with seven rebounds and two assists.
• Jared Berry netted 14 points and five rebounds off the bench, Drew Lazarre grabbed a team-high nine rebounds with eight points, and Davis posted nine points with six rebounds.
• Tufts had three scorers in double figures, led by Joshua Bernstein with a game-high 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Jon Medley tacked on 17 points, while Zion Watt added 14 points, three rebounds and two steals.

 
Up Next:

• The Bantams will be back on the court at Coliseum when they take on the fifth-ranked University of Mary Washington in the National Championship Semifinals on Saturday, March 21 at 8:00 p.m.