Selinsgrove, Pa. - The Trinity College men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, 54-53, to the King's College Monarchs in the opening round of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament this evening at Susquehanna University's Houts Gymnasium. Trinity falls to 2-1 and will face the loser of tonight's other first round game between the host Susquehanna Crusaders and Penn State University-Wilkes-Barre tomorrow at 1 p.m. King's, now 3-0, will play tonight's winner in the finals tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Trinity took an early 14-9 lead on a jumper by freshman guard Brian Horn (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) and led for a final time with 6:08 left in the first half on a jump shot by freshman forward Ed Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at 21-19. King's scored seven of the last 11 points before the break for a 26-25 lead, and extended it to 31-25 after a traditional three-point play by Tim O'Shea.

Trinity cut the lead to 32-29 on a free throw by junior forward Alex Conaway (New Haven, Conn.), but the Monarchs responded with four straight points by Kyle Hammonds to push the score to 38-29 with 15:45 remaining. King's took its biggest lead of the game when Hammonds scored on a driving lay-up to make the score, 44-34, with 12:24 on the clock. Trinity battled back with a 9-2 run and cut the lead to 46-45 on a Horn jumper with 8:25 to go. King's answered with three straight baskets to push the score to 52-45 with 4:28 remaining.

Trinity closed to within three again when junior guard Hart Gliedman (New York, N.Y.) hit two free throws to bring the score to 54-51 with 1:19 left. After a King's turnover, Gleidman missed a three-pointer but Ogundeko snared the offensive rebound and was fouled. Ogundeko made both charity tosses to cut the lead to 54-52 with 42 seconds left to play. After another Monarch turnover Trinity had a chance to tie the game but a jumper by sophomore forward Shay Ajayi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with one second on the clock was off the mark.

Trinity was led by Ogundeko with 14 points and 14 rebounds while Conaway followed with 11 points and 11 boards. Hammonds had 12 points and pulled down four rebounds and Joe Caffrey followed with 11 points and six assists for the Monarchs.