Springfield, Mass. - The visiting Trinity College Bantams hung tough on the road against the Springfield College Pride, but fell behind late in a 67-62 setback in men's basketball action this evening at Blake Arena. Trinity falls to 4-4, while the Pride improves to 6-0. Bantam senior co-captain Kyle Padmore (Milton, Mass.) led both squads in scoring with 21 points and added four rebounds. Fellow Trinity senior co-captain Nick Seretta (Greenfield, Mass.) finished with 14 points, and junior forward Donald Jorden (Tampa, Fla.) had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Trinity will play Dean in the Ed Hockenbury Classic at Norwich on Saturday at 8 p.m. in its next game.
After trading baskets through the opening four minutes, Padmore and Seretta hit threes to give the Bantams a four-point lead. Two buckets from Pride sophomore Collin Lindsay (East Longmeadow, Mass.) tied the game, and the teams continued to trade hoops through the opening ten minutes. Trinity saw three consecutive buckets in the paint from junior Colin Donovan (Westborough, Mass.) and Jorden, before senior guard Christian Porydzy (South Glastonbury, Conn.) buried a three to give the Bantams a 27-22 lead. The teams traded shots inside the paint, and the Bantams took a 35-27 lead into the half.
The teams carried the same pace from the first half into the second, trading baskets through the opening three minutes of play. A handful of Trinity fouls put the Pride on the line, and after six minutes of play, the hosts pulled within two at 41-39. A four-point play by Pride senior Heath Post (Cheshire, Conn.) put the Pride back up by two midway through the second half.
Springfield added two more baskets, taking a five-point lead with less than eight minutes left in the second half. Trinity found its momentum late and scored six quick Padmore points in the paint from Padmore to take a 51-50 lead. The two teams traded attempts at the free-throw line, with the Bantams claiming a 53-52 lead at the five-minute mark. The traded baskets once again before a Pride free throw gave the hosts a one-point lead. A three from senior Jake Ross (Northampton, Mass.) followed by a deep two from Lindsay put Springfield up five, and the Pride hit a handful of shots from the charity stripe to put the game away.