Hartford, Conn. – Junior guard Jaquann Starks (Hartford, Conn.) had a team-high 25 points, making four of six attempts from three-point range and 13 of 14 shots from the foul line, and added three rebounds and five assists to lead the Trinity College Bantams to an 88-79 win over the visiting Colby College White Mules in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's basketball action this afternoon on Ogrodnik Court in Oosting Gymnasium. Trinity improves to 16-5 overall and 7-1 in the NESCAC with its third consecutive victory, while the Mules drop to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the league with their third setback in a row. Trinity honored the 20th anniversary of its 1994-95 NCAA Final Four team at halftime of today's contest.
Trinity senior tri-captain center George Papadeas (Athens, Greece) scored the game's first four points, but the Bantams found themselves trailing, 16-11, at the 12:34 mark of the first half after two free throws by Colby junior guard Ryan Jann (Westford, Mass.). Trinity scored seven points in a row and led, 18-16, on a drive by junior forward Shay Ajayi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with just 90 seconds later, but a layup by Mule junior guard Luke Westman (Newton, Mass.) put the visitors back ahead, 21-18, with 8:30 on the clock. Starks, scoreless until 12:12 into the game, caught fire and scored 11 points during a 19-5 Bantam run that made the score, 37-25, with 1:38 left before the break, and Trinity went into the locker room ahead, 39-28. Trinity shot 50 percent from the field, made five of nine attempts from long range, and nailed all eight of its free throws, while Colby shot 35.5 percent from the floor, made three of 11 three-point attempts, and missed five of its eight tries from the foul line in the first half. Starks led all scorers with 13 points at halftime.
Trinity opened the second stanza with a 7-0 run, including two baskets inside by Papadeas that Colby answered with its own 7-0 spurt, including five points by Jann, to make the score, 46-35, in the Bantams' favor at the 16:12 mark. Trinity scored the game's next 11 points to go ahead, 57-35, and opened up its biggest advantage, 66-43, after a pair of technical foul shots by Starks with 8:11 left to play. Colby used a full court press to chip away at the Bantam lead, pulling to within single digits at 80-71 with just under one minute on the clock, but Trinity made eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
Trinity sophomore forward Ed Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Ajayi joined Starks in double figures in scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Ogundeko added seven rebounds and three blocks, and Ajayi grabbed five boards. Papadeas finished with eight points and a game-high eight boards, and junior guard Andrew Hurd (Windsor, Conn.) dished five assists. Jann was the game's top scorer with 27 points to go with five rebounds and three assists, while Westman contributed 14 points, five boards, and five assists for Colby. Trinity shot 86.5 percent from the charity stripe (32-27).