Hartford, Conn. – Junior forward Taylor Murtaugh (New York, N.Y.) totaled a team-high 16 points and added three rebounds and a blocked shot to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 68-65 victory over the crosstown rival University of St. Joseph Blue Jays in women's basketball action this afternoon. Trinity improves to 13-5 with its sixth consecutive win, while the Blue Jays drop to 9-5.

Trinity scored the game's first eight points and led, 10-2, 4:24 into the contest thanks largely to six early points by junior center Emily Dixon (Norwood, Mass.). St. Joseph came right back and took its only lead of the game, 11-10, after a three-pointer by junior guard Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, Conn.) less than two minutes later, but the Bantams countered with a 17-6 run over the next eight minutes to take a 27-16 lead with just under six minutes left in the first half. The Blue Jays rallied to score 15 of the final 19 points before the break, and Trinity held a 34-31 halftime lead.

St. Joseph junior forward Mary Hyde (Derby, Conn.) tied the contest at 34-34 with one of six Blue Jay three-pointers in the game, and the teams were knotted at 36-all when Trinity took the lead for good on a layup by Murtaugh with 16:35 on the clock. The game remained close throughout, as Trinity's largest lead in the second half was six points, and the Bantams clung to a 56-54 lead at the three-minute mark after a put-back by Blue Jay sophomore guard Claire Consonni (Bristol, Conn.). Trinity junior guard Abby Hancock (Casco, Maine) drained a trey from the right wing with the shot clock winding down to up the home team lead to 59-54, but Consonni nailed a three-pointer from the right corner to make the score, 63-61, just inside the last minute. Hancock and junior guard Moriah Sweeney (Ramsey, N.J.) each sank two free throws down the stretch to seal it for the Bantams.

Dixon joined Murtaugh in double figures in scoring with 12 points to go with four rebounds and one block, while Sweeney notched nine points, a team-high eight boards, and four assists, and rookie guard Christina Raiti (Plainview, N.Y.) dished out a game-high six assists. Diliberto scored a game-high 18 points, sinking all eight of her shots from the foul line, and added six rebounds and three steals, while Consonni had 16 points, four boards, and three assists, and Hyde recorded 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and three assists for St. Joseph. Trinity outrebounded the Blue Jays, 41-32 to offset a 50-percent field-goal shooting performance by the visitors (6-for-12).