HARTFORD, Conn. - Rookie guard Hannah Marzo (Shrewsbury, Mass.) scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 64-59 victory over the visiting Bates College Bobcats in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball action this afternoon on Ogrodnik Court in Oosting Gymnasium.  Trinity improves to 14-4 overall with its third win in a row and takes over sole possession of first place in the conference with a 6-1 NESCAC mark.  Bates drops to 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the league.  Trinity, which downed No. 7-ranked Tufts last night, hosts NESCAC rival Williams on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Bates visits league foe Colby that night at 7 p.m.

"Our defensive intensity really dictated the outcome of the last two games," said Trinity Head Coach Emily Garner. "Different players are stepping up on different nights, and these last couple games have been the definition of team wins. I'm incredibly proud of this group, and of the leadership of our three seniors. I'm glad we were able to get the win for them on senior night."

Trinity jumped out to a 17-0 lead over the game's first 5:45 and led the entire game.  Senior guard Bailey Hyland (Broad Brook, Conn.) scored five of the 17 points for Trinity.  Bates got back within single digits on two free throws by Brianna Gadaleta that made it, 23-14, at the six-minute mark of the second quarter, but back-to-back inside buckets by junior center Samantha Gallo (Northford, Conn.) pushed Trinity ahead, 32-20, with 1:26 on the clock.  Alexandra Long hit a 3-pointer for the Bobcats in the final 10 seconds before the half to make it, 32-25.

Bates got within a basket at 34-32 on a layup by Meghan Graff early in the third stanza, but Bantam sophomore Tori Varsamis (Belmont, Mass.) answered with a bucket plus a foul shot, and Trinity kept the Bobcats at bay through the rest of the quarter.  In the fourth, Graff scored on a drive to pull Bates to within a point at 49-48 with 5:56 on the clock, but Gallo, Marzo, and first-year guard Indianna DelRocco (Branford, Conn.) went 5-for-5 from the foul line to power a 7-0 Trinity spurt over the next 1:45.  Graff made a long trey to make the score, 63-59, late but Marzo had a steal and a blocked shot and made a free throw in the final 10 seconds to preserve her team's win.

Trinity outrebounded Bates, 47-36, scored 30 points in the paint, and held Bates to 31.9 percent field-goal shooting.  Marzo, who had not scored in double figures in her career prior to today, added five rebounds to her 18 points, while Gallo contributed 13 points, a game-high 11 boards, and four assists.  Hyland finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists and Varsamis scored seven points.  Graff led all scorers with 29 points and dished four assists for Bates.  Mia Roy added 11 points and five assists and Taylor MacVeigh grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.