Hartford, Conn. – Senior forwards Hannah Brickley (Melrose, Mass.) and Shantel Hanniford (Nantucket, Mass.) combined for 34 points, 17 rebounds, seven assist and five steals to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 64-61 victory over the visiting Wesleyan University Cardinals in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball action this evening at Oosting Gymnasium.  Trinity improves to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in the NESCAC with its first win in four games, while the Cardinals fall to 12-8 overall and 3-4 in the league with their second loss in a row.

Wesleyan got off to a 9-4 lead 3:36 into the game after five straight points by senior tri-captain guard KellyAnn Rooney (Guilford, Conn.), but Trinity scored eight of the next 10 points to pull back ahead, 12-11, on two Brickley free throws.  The Cardinals took their last lead, 15-14, just before the midpoint of the first half on a jumper by sophomore forward Kaylie Williams (Danville, Calif.), but Hanniford answered with a pair from the charity stripe and the Bantams never trailed again.  Two more Hanniford foul shots gave Trinity a 36-31 advantage with 46 seconds left before halftime, but Williams made two free throws and Cardinal senior tri-captain guard Jenna Klaes (Amherst, Mass.) stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored a layup as the horn sounded for a 36-235 count at the break in the home team's favor.  Hanniford had 12 points and Brickley had 10 at halftime, while Rooney paced Wesleyan, which shot 55 percent from the field in the first half, with 12 points.  The teams combined for 23 first-half turnovers, and Trinity held a 16-to-11 edge on the glass.

Trinity scored the first six points of the second stanza and led, 41-35, after a jumper by senior Taylor Murtaugh (Bronx, N.Y.) at the 17:10 mark.  A put-back by Cardinal junior guard Miller Hartsoe (Glen Gardner, N.J.) tied the game, 49-49, at the nine-minute mark, but Trinity used a 9-1 run to pull back ahead, 58-50, on another outside shot by Murtaugh with 4:44 on the clock.  Wesleyan continued to battle and Trinity clung to a 62-59 lead inside the final minute after two foul shots by sophomore guard Jackie Browne (Voorhees, N.J.).  After Wesleyan missed its next two free throws, and the Bantams hit iron on the front end of a one-an-one situation, Williams drove for a hoop to bring Wesleyan to within a point at 62-61.  Bantam senior guard Abby Hancock (Casco, Maine) calmly hit both of her free throws with eight seconds left and the Trinity defense held Wesleyan to a long three-point attempt to tie that fell way short.

Brickley finished with team-highs of 18 points and 10 boards to go with four assists, while Hanniford made six of nine shots from the field and four of five free throws for 16 points and added seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals.  Trinity senior guard Moriah Sweeney (Ramsey, N.J.) grabbed eight rebounds, and Hancock totaled eight points and a game-high six assists.  Rooney paced Wesleyan with 18 points, while Klaes had 15 points and three steals, junior forward Cherkira Lashley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, and Williams contributed nine points, six rebounds, and four steals.  Trinity finished with a 37-30 rebounding advantage, held the Cardinals to 30.8 percent field-goal shooting after halftime, and forced 20 turnovers.  Wesleyan stayed in the game by sinking 19 of 25 free throws.