Hartford, Conn. – Junior forward Ed Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y.) totaled game-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds and senior captain guard Jaquann Starks (Hartford, Conn.) scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 78-56 victory over the visiting Connecticut College Camels in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's basketball action on Ogrodnik Court in Oosting Gymnasium this evening. Trinity improves to 10-4 overall, 6-0 at home, and 2-0 in the NESCAC, while the Camels drop to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the league with their first loss in six games and their 17th setback in a row against the Bantams dating back to 2000-01. Trinity hosts Wesleyan tomorrow at 3 p.m., looking to avenge their last home loss when the Cardinals posted a 55-52 win in last year's NESCAC Semifinals. Connecticut College visits No. 9-ranked Amherst tomorrow at the same time.
Both offenses were cold early with Trinity holding an 11-10 lead with 10:33 left in the first half after an Ogundeko fast-break slam. The Camels took a 22-21 lead on a put-back by junior forward Brandon Carson (Glenmoore, Pa.) with just under seven minutes on the clock, but Trinity answered with a 16-0 run that ended on a trey by Starks that gave the Bantams a 38-22 advantage with 1:35 left before halftime. Starks drilled another trey inside the final minute to give Trinity its largest lead of the first stanza at 43-25, and a drive by Camel junior guard Doug Henton (New London, Conn.) on the ensuing Connecticut College possession made the score, 43-27 at the break. Trinity continued to control the contest in the second half from beginning to end, never leading by less than 14 points and going ahead by as much as 26 points, 74-49, with 4:23 on the clock on a left-handed drive in transition by senior captain guard Andrew Hurd (Windsor, Conn.).
Trinity shot well from long range, making six of its 12 attempts including four of six by Starks, and forced 21 Camel turnovers including 15 that saw Bantams record steals in the box score. The Bantam defense limited Connecticut College to only 48 shot attempts, while Trinity managed to get off 71 field-goal attempts on the offensive end. Trinity senior captain forward Shay Ajayi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the way with five steals, while junior guard Langdon Neal (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore swingman Eric Gendron (Merrimack, N.H.) had three swipes each. Ajayi also scored 13 points and grabbed five boards, while junior Chris Turnbull (Ridgewood, N.J.) pulled down eight Trinity rebounds, and Hurd dished a game-high seven assists. Camel sophomore guard Lee Messier (Narragansett, R.I.) scored 14 points off the bench, making four of his eight shots from beyond the arc, while junior forward Daniel Janel (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) added 12 points and six rebounds, and rookie guard Tyler Rowe (East Hartford, Conn.) scored 11 points with five boards. Connecticut College blocked eight Bantam shots, including three by junior co-captain forward Zuri Pavlin (New York, N.Y.).