Hartford, Conn. - Hannah Brickley (Melrose, Mass.) had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 65-49 victory over the visiting Williams College Ephs in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball opener for both teams this evening at Oosting Gymnasium.  Trinity improves to 7-5 overall with its third consecutive win, while the Ephs, ranked No. 4 in the nation, lose for the first time this season in 13 games.

Trinity led wire to wire, opening up a 14-0 lead over the first eight minutes, as Brickley had eight of the 12 points.  Williams rookie Lauren McCall (Natick, Mass.) ended a 9:40 scoring drought with a three-pointer just before the halfway point of the first half, but Brickley answered with a layup and the Bantams extended their advantage to 22-5 over the next 3:30.  Williams outscored Trinity, 12-6, over the final 6:44 of the first half for a 28-17 count at the break.  Brickley led all scorers with 12 at halftime, while the Bantams held a 32-17 rebounding advantage and held the Ephs to five field goals in 31 attempts (16.1%) from the field.

Williams fought back early in the second stanza, using a 15-5 run to close to within three at 35-32 with just under 16 minutes left.  Junior forward Ellen Cook (Eugene, Oregon) had a pair of three-pointers during the run.  Sophomore center Mackenzie Griffin (Stamford, Conn.) and senior forward Shantel Hanniford (Nantucket, Mass.) made back-to-back layups to push the Trinity lead back up to seven points, and a jumper by senior Taylor Murtaugh (Bronx, N.Y.) gave the home team a double-digit lead at 44-34 with 10:39 on the clock. A pair of free throws by Cook made the score, 46-40, with just over seven minutes remaining, but Trinity scored the next seven points and maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.

Hanniford and Murtaugh joined Brickley in double digits in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for Trinity, while Hanniford added a game-high 11 rebounds, and Murtaugh pulled down seven boards and blocked two shots.  Griffin grabbed eight boards and rookie Sheena Landy (Durham, Conn.) recorded six rebounds and three assists off the bench, as Trinity dominated the glass with a 54-32 advantage to offset 19 turnovers, 0-for-6 shooting from long range and 14 missed free throws in 31 attempts.  Williams made 21 of its 22 shots from the foul line but just 12 of 59 from the field and four of 20 from three-point land.  Cook had a team-high 16 points, while sophomore guard Jane Thompson (New Milford, Conn.) collected six rebounds and three assists for the Ephs.