Keene, N.H. – The visiting Trinity College Bantams defeated the Keene State College Owls, 56-53, in women's basketball action this evening.  Trinity improves to 2-1 with its second straight victory, while the Owls drop to 2-2.

Trinity took a 27-18 lead on consecutive breakaway lay-up by junior guard Kaitlin Ciarlegio (Waterbury, Conn.) with 2:20 to play in the half, but sophomore Samantha Hemingway (Newport, N.H.) got the Owls to with four points at 27-23 with a lay-up in the closing seconds of the first half.

Trinity went up by seven at 52-45 on a turnaround jumper by senior tri-captain guard Kristen Fahey (Cumberland, R.I.) with 5:59 to go, but the Owls answered with a 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 53-52 on a conventional three-point play by Sophomore Siobhan Carnell (Quincy, Mass.) with 1:52 to play.  Freshman center Emily Dixon (Norwood, Mass.) ended the Owls spurt with what turned out to be the game-winning basket on the Bantams next possession made it 54-53.  Carnell had a chance to give Keene State the lead, but couldn't connect on a couple of lay-up attempts.  Fahey was fouled and hit a pair from the line to put Trinity up 56-53, before the Owls called time out, but couldn't get a shot off as time expired.

Fahey scored 13 points and Ciarleglio added 12 points for Trinity.  Senior center Molly McGlynn (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) chipped in with eight points and a game high nine rebounds.  Trinity out-rebounded the Owls 41-32, and held them to 32 percent shooting from the field (16-50).  Keene State junior Courtney Cirillo (Windsor Locks, Conn.), who hit nine of her 11 shots from the line, had a game high 21 points to go with eight rebounds, while Carnell came off the bench to score 14 points and pull down seven rebounds.