Castine, Maine - The Trinity College Bantams got 40 of 80 points from its bench to advance to the finals of the season-opening Maine Maritime Academy Men's Basketball Tournament with an 80-52 victory over the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rival Bates College Bobcats this evening.  The Bantams will face the Wheelock College Wildcats in the finals tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m.  Bates will play the host Mariners in the third-place game tomorrow at noon.

Trinity closed the final 8:34 of the first half with an 20-5 run to turn a 15-all tie into a 37-20 advantage at halftime.  Bantam sophomore forward Kyle Padmore (Milton, Mass.) scored two of the first four baskets during the run and classmate Joe Bell (Manchester, N.H.) totaled five of the 20 points on a trey and a lay-up.  Junior Jeremy Arthur (Westbury, N.Y.) opened the second half with a three-pointer to give Trinity its first 20-point lead and the Bantams led by at least that much for all but one minute the rest of the way.

Trinity's defense was stifling, holding Bates to 22.4 percent field-goal shooting from the field and just five three-pointers in 24 tries.  The Bantams more than doubled up the Bobcats on the boards, finishing with a 56-to-27 advantage, and won despite missing 12 of 23 free throws and 15 of 18 attempts from beyond the arc.  Bell and fellow sophomore guard Nick Seretta (Greenfield, Mass.) paced the Bantams with 11 points apiece off the bench, while senior co-captain guard Eric Gendron (Merrimack, N.H.) notched 1o points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots.  Trinity junior forward Connor Merinder (Andover, Mass.) totaled nine points and game-high nine rebounds, and sophomore guard Christian Porydzy (South Glastonbury, Conn.) and Seretta both grabbed seven boards.  Nick Gilpin had 14 points and a team-high six rebounds, and Jeff Spellman also scored 14 points for Bates.