HARTFORD, Conn. – The top-ranked Trinity College Men's Basketball team defeated visiting Keuka College, 74-63, in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament at Ray Oosting Gymnasium Friday night. The Bantams improve to 26-2 on the season, while the Wolves finish with a 15-14 mark.
What Happened:
- Trailing 6-4 in the early minutes of the first half, the Bantams used a 12-6 run, behind six points from Tristan Davis, to capture a 16-12 advantage midway through the half.
- Leading 21-12 with 7:13 on the clock, the Bantams hit a shooting funk as the Wolves outscored Trinity, 17-2, powered by eight points from Chase Welch, to close out the first half with a 29-23 lead.
- A jumper from Quinn Vankerkove at the 11:41 mark of the second half gave Keuka their largest lead of the game, 41-31, but Trinity responded with a 12-3 run over the next two-plus minutes to trim the gap to 44-43.
- Henry Vetter poured six straight points to knot the game at 49-49 and the Bantams defense kicked into gear, limiting the Wolves to four points over the next four minutes as the lead expanded to 60-53 with 2:30 to play.
- Vetter and Jared Berry combined to go 8-for-8 from the foul line down the stretch to seal the 74-63 victory.
Inside the Numbers:
- The Bantams shot 39.3% (22-of-56) from the field, 21.4% (6-of-28) from three-point range, and 80% (24-of-30) from the free throw stripe.
- The Wolves connected on 36% (19-of-50) from the floor, including 37.5% (6-of-16) from beyond the arc, and 86.4% (19-of-22) from the foul line.
- Rebounds: Trinity 36, Keuka 34
- Steals: Trinity 12, Keuka 8
- Turnovers: Keuka 19, Trinity 13
- Points off Turnovers: Trinity 13, Keuka 10
- Points in the Paint: Trinity 28, Keuka 18
- Bench Points: Trinity 20, Keuka 13
- Vetter led the Bantams with a season-high 26 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the floor, in 33 minutes of action.
- David Ayles tallied 10 points with a game-high six assists and a game-high three steals, while Jared Berry chipped in 11 points, a career-high nine rebounds, and two steals off the bench.
- Tristan Davis produced nine points, nine rebounds and a game-high three steals, and Drew Lazarre had nine points, three rebounds and two steals in the win.
- Lamar Lovelace paced the Wolves with a team-high 25 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
- Akinlana Popoola added 21 points, three rebounds, and two steals, while Welch and Makya Morrison posted eight points apiece.
Up Next:
- The Bantams will be back on the floor when they host Babson College (22-6) in the Second Round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament on Saturday, March 7 at 7:00 p.m.
- All-time, Trinity owns a 7-4 record against the Beavers, dating back to their first meeting in 1983-84.
- The Bantams defeated the Beavers, 77-44, in a non-conference tilt in Hartford on December 6.
- The Bantams connected on 41.4% (29-of-70) from the field, including 28% (7-of-25) from three-point range, and 66.7% (12-of-18) from the foul line.
- The Beavers shot 28.3% (17-of-6) from the floor, 21.7% (5-of-23) from beyond the arc, and 55.6% (5-of-9) from the free throw stripe.
- In the win over Babson, Jarrel Okorougo poured in a career-high 27 points, shooting a career-best 12-of-15 from the field with a career-high three three-pointers, with two rebounds, a block and a steal.
- Vetter tallied 12 points with a season-high seven rebounds and two assists, while Davis logged his second career double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Lazarre and Berry added six points each, while Bangaly Berete, Paul Ippolito and Samuel Norris chipped in five points apiece off the bench.
- Timmy Mulvey led the Beavers with a team-high 10 points, while Timmy O'Toole grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds with four points.
