Hartford, Conn. – The Trinity College women's basketball team fell to visiting Wesleyan, 54-45, in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action on Friday evening inside Oosting Gymnasium on Stan Ogrodnik Court. With the loss, the Bantams move to 7-14 overall and 1-7 in league play, while the Cardinals move to 9-10 on the year and 2-5 in conference tilts thanks to their third straight win away from home.

Junior center Mackenzie Griffin (Stamford, Conn.) was dominant in a losing effort for Trinity, scoring 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. She also set a new career-high with 18 rebounds as she recorded her sixth double-double of the season to go along with three steals and a pair of blocks. Senior swing player Taylor Higgins (Merrick, N.Y.) was the other Bantam in double figures as she scored 15 points, highlighted by knocking down 5-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe. Junior Alexa Menard (Wallingford, Conn.) shot well from beyond the arc, connecting on a pair of treys to add six points for the hosts.

Wesleyan had a balanced offensive attack as all five starters registered seven or more points. Two Cardinals scored in double figures as senior co-captain Jess Cherenza with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds and senior guard Dreisen Heath poured in 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Dreisen also caused havoc on the defensive end, recording three steals and three rebounds. Junior forward Kaylie Williams scored eight points and pulled down a team-high nine boards, while sophomore guard Danielle Gervacio and senior swing player Cherkira Lashley each recorded four assists apiece off the bench.

The game was close all evening and saw three ties and two lead changes. The Cardinal defense was stifling as they forced 27 Trinity turnovers, including a season-high 18 in the opening half. The Bantams held the edge at the free-throw line as they knocked down 8-of-11 attempts, while Wesleyan converted just 5-of-13. Most of the action in the contest came on the interior as the visitors held a slight 30-24 advantage in points in the paint.

Trailing 4-2 early in the contest, Trinity went on a 5-0 run courtesy of a Menard trey and a Griffin layup to grab what would prove to be their largest lead of the game at 7-4 with 15:57 left in first half. Over the next six minutes the two squads would trade buckets and turnovers as a Griffin layup knotted the game at 11 with just over nine minutes remaining in the opening half. The Cardinals closed out the first half on a 17-7 run to take a 28-18 lead into the break. Over the final nine minutes of the first, the visitors forced 11 Trinity turnovers and held the Bantams to just three field goals.

In the second half, Trinity stayed within a few possessions for a majority of play. With under two minutes left in the game, Griffin knocked down a jumper from the elbow to pull the Bantams within five at 50-45. Wesleyan closed out the game by holding Trinity without a field goal while forcing a trio of turnovers.

Trinity closes out a weekend of home NESCAC action tomorrow afternoon, Feb. 7, as in-state rival Connecticut College comes to Hartford for a matinee. The tilt with the Camels is slated to get underway at 3:00 p.m.