Hartford, Conn. - Sophomore guard Kaitlin Lewis (Demarest, N.J.) had 15 points, nailing five three-pointers in seven attempts, five rebounds, three assists, and four steals to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 63-50 win over the visiting Anna Maria College Amcats in women's basketball action this afternoon at Oosting Gymnasium. Trinity ends its five-game losing streak to close the calendar year at 2-5, while the Amcats drop to 3-4.
The offenses started slowly with the game tied at 10-10 at the 12:11 mark after a three-point shot by Amcat sophomore guard Deja Taitt (Cambia Heights, N.Y.), but Trinity scored the next 13 points for a 23-10 lead with 5:48 left in the first half. Bantam junior guard Christina Raiti (Plainview, N.Y.) scored all seven of her points during the run on a layup, a jumper, and three-pointer. Taitt scored inside for the final basket of the opening stanza to account for a 29-19 Bantam lead at the break. Lewis and nine points and senior guard Bianca Brenz (Lawrence, Mass.) had eight points at halftime, while Taitt led all scorers with 11. Trinity's defense yielded just seven Amcat field goals in 32 attempts (21.9 percent) in the first 20 minutes.
An inside bucket by Anna Maria senior tri-captain forward Trafficia Warburton (Worcester, Mass.) cut the Trinity lead to single digits for the final time at 37-28 with 14:28 on the clock, but Bantam senior forward Melanie Mills (Woodstock, Conn.) answered with back-to-back put-backs for a 42-28 home-team lead. Trinity extended its advantage to as many as 19 points, after Lewis' fifth trey made the score, 60-41, with just under four minutes left to play, and both teams emptied thieir benches for the remainder of the contest.
Trinity shot 50 percent from the field (22-44) and made eight of its 17 long-range attempts, but missed half of its 22 free throws while committing 21 turnovers. Anna Maria was held to a 29.1 field-goal percentage, including just three treys in 16 tries. Brenz and fellow senior Taylor Higgins (Merrick, N.Y.) joined Lewis in double figures in scoring with 11 points apiece, while Higgins also had a game-high seven assists, and first-year Emily Llerena (New Milford, Conn.) grabbed nine boards for the Bantams. Taitt paced the Amcats with 13 points to go with four steals, while Warburton notched 12 points, a team-high nine rebounds, and four thefts, and rookie guard Kristina Russo (South Windsor, Conn.) collected eight points, six rebounds, and three steals for Anna Maria.