HARTFORD, Conn. – For the first time since 1994-95, the Trinity College men's basketball team will head to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Semifinal after defeating Calvin University, 69-62, in an Elite Eight battle at Ray Oosting Gymnasium Saturday night.
The Bantams rise to 30-1 on the season, registering the first 30-win season in program history, and will head to Fort Wayne, Indiana to face Trine University (27-4) in the Semifinals Thursday evening. The winner will face the winner of Hampden-Sweeney/Guilford in the Championship game on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET. Calvin closes their campaign with a 25-4 record.
The Bantams had three scorers in double figures, led by a team-high 15 points from senior Ben Callahan-Gold. Callahan-Gold added five rebounds, three blocks and three steals, while junior Will Dorion chipped in 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomores Jarrel Okorougo and Drew Lazarre tallied eight points apiece.
Calvin sophomore Owen Varnado netted a game-high 21 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the floor, with four rebounds. Sophomore Trey Winkle scored 12 points off the bench, while senior Marcus Bult logged a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Varnado took the opening tip for a fastbreak slam as Calvin held Trinity scoreless over the opening five minutes of play. Five straight points from Dorion put the Bantams ahead 5-4 until the Knights used a 10-2 run to hold a 14-7 lead at the 11:52 mark. The Bantams bench ignited a 15-1 run over the next six minutes to hand Trinity a 22-15 lead with 5:07 on the clock. Okorougo sandwiched a pair of jumpers around a bucket from Dorion as the Bantams took a 30-23 lead into halftime.
A four-point play from Bult helped the Knights close the gap to 34-33 early in the second half. The Bantams began to pull away with a 10-0 run over the next six minutes to expand their advantage to 44-33 with 11:50 on the clock. A driving layup from Lazarre at the 7:07 mark gave Trinity their largest lead of the game, 55-39. A pair of free throws from Varnado trimmed the gap to two possessions, 60-54, with 1:20 to play, but the Bantams held off a late rally from the free throw line as Trinity booked their trip to the Semifinals with a 69-62 victory.
The Knights edged the Bantams on the glass, 47-42, while Trinity controlled the paint, 30-14. The Bantams bench outscored the Knights bench, 25-12. Trinity connected on 24-of-69 (34.8%) from the floor, 3-of-26 (11.6%) from three-point range and 18-of-23 (78.3%) from the foul line. Calvin shot 20-of-58 (34.5%) from the field, including 9-of-30 (30%) from three-point, and 13-of-17 (76.5%) from the free throw stripe.