Junior center Craig Coupe (Niskayuna, N.Y.) notched 13 points, a game-high 16 rebounds, and two blocked shots to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 90-68 win over the visiting Bowdoin College Polar Bears in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men’s basketball league opener this evening at Oosting Gymnasium. Trinity, ranked No. 11 in the nation, improves to 13-0 overall and 1-0 in the NESCAC, while the Polar Bears drop to 7-6 overall and 0-1 in the league.
Bowdoin came out hot early, as three different Polar Bears hit early three-pointers to give the visitors a 14-6 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Trinity fought back, tying the game at 14-14 on a jumper by sophomore forward Tyler Rhoten (Ridgewood, N.J.), and eventually pulling ahead, 31-22, five minutes before intermission. Rhoten had 15 points at the half and Trinity held a 40-31 advantage. The Bantams built their lead to 20 points early in the second half at 60-40, and led by as many as 26 points en route to the 90-68 victory.
Trinity shot 57.1 percent from the field and made seven out 13 shots from long range in the second half (20-35), finishing with 11 treys in 20 tries for the game. Rhoten led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed five rebounds, while senior tri-captain guard Shaun Smyth (Manchester, Conn.) added 20 points, four assists, two blocks, and three steals, and junior tri-captain guard John Halas (White Plains, N.Y.) tallied 16 points, a game-high eight assists, and four swipes. Smyth and Halas combined to sink 13 out 19 shots from the floor and seven out of 11 from beyond the arc.
Sophomore forward Kyle Petrie (Iowa City, Iowa) paced the Polar Bears with 16 points and added five rebounds, while freshman forward Jac Arbour (Augusta, Maine) came off the bench to record 10 points and nine boards.