Hartford, Conn. - Sophomore forward Donald Jorden (Tampa, Fla.) had 17 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and three blocked shots to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 61-49 victory over the visiting Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham Devils in the opening round of the Trinity College Men's Basketball Holiday Invitational this evening at Oosting Gymnasium. Trinity improves to 8-3 and will play either Southern Maine or Western New England in the finals tomorrow at 2 p.m.  The Devils drop to 3-8 and will play in the consolation game tomorrow at noon.

Trinity overcame a 22-15 halftime deficit, shooting 69.2 percent from the field after the break to make up for a 19.2 percent clip from the floor in the first half.  The Bantams outscored the Devils, 12-4, over the first five minutes of the second stanza, and tied the game at 27-all on a trey by senior tri-captain forward Connor Merinder (Andover, Mass.) at the 15:41 mark.  Trinity went on a 17-4 spurt later in the second half to turn a 35-32 deficit into a 49-39 lead with 6:08 left in the game.  Bantam junior tri-captain Kyle Padmore (Milton, Mass.) scored seven points during the run.  FDU-Florham closed to 51-45 at the four-minute mark after four points in a row by senior forward Darren Davy (West Hempstead, N.Y.), but the Bantams scored 10 of the game's final 14 points including a pair of free throws each in the final minute by Jorden and sophomore guard Anthony Kelley (Springfield, Mass.).  

FDU-Florham had led, 9-0, halfway through the first half, as Devil seniors Tyler Christie (Union Beach, N.J.) and Anthony Mitchell (Red Bank, N.J.) were the only players from either team to score over the first 10 minutes.  Trinity turned the ball over on its first three possessions and missed its first 11 shots before sophomore Colin Donovan (Westborough, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer off the dribble with 9:52 left before intermission.  Trinity finished with just five field goals in 26 attempts in the first half, while Mitchell scored 10 of the Devils' 22 points before halftime.

Padmore scored 11 of his 13 points in the second frame and added four assists, while junior tri-captain Nick Seretta (Greenfield, Mass.) collected six points and six boards, and junior guard Christian Porydzy (South Glastonbury, Conn.) dished four assists.  Jorden and Padmore were both 6-for-10 from the field.  Mitchell led all scorers with 20 points, sinking eight of 11 shots from the field, and added five rebounds, while Davy contributed eight points, a team-high six boards, and three assists.  Trinity made 18 of its 26 attempts from the field and outrebounded the Devils, 17-9, in the second half.