SECOND HALF TO BEAT BATES AT HOME
Junior tri-captain guard John Halas (White Plains, N.Y.) scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, including four three-pointers, and added seven rebounds and four steals to lead the Trinity College Bantams to an 87-71 win over the visiting Bates College Bobcats in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men’s basketball action this evening at Oosting Gymnasium.
Trinity, ranked No. 1 in the nation, improves to 16-1 overall and 4-1 in the NESCAC with their second straight win, while the Bobcats drop to 14-4 overall and 3-1 in the league with their first loss in eight games. Bates entered the game tied Williams for first place in the NESCAC at 3-0, but drops to third place with the loss. Trinity moves into a second place tie with Amherst at 4-1 behind Williams, which is undefeated in four conference games.
Trailing for almost the entire opening 32 minutes of the game, Trinity outscored the Bobcats, 40-16, over the final 14 minutes to avenge heartbreaking loss at Bates last season on a last second three-point heave. Trinity took its first lead since the opening seconds with eight minutes left on a long three-pointer from the left wing by freshman guard Patrick Hasiuk (Enfield, Conn.). Bantam senior tri-captain Shaun Smyth (Manchester, Conn.) gave Trinity the lead again at 70-69 on a three from the right wing, and the Bantams scored the next 13 points to build an 82-69 advantage with under two minutes on the clock.
Trinity shot just 37.3 percent from the field, but made seven out of 10 shots from three-point range in the second half. The Bantams outrebounded the Bobcats, 51-40, and blocked 11 shots. Smyth finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Tyler Rhoten (Ridgewood, N.J.) notched 21 points, 11 rebounds, and a pair of blocked shots. Trinity junior center Craig Coupe (Niskayuna, N.Y.) blocked five shots and grabbed 11 boards, and Hasiuk sank all three of his three-point tries and two free throws for 11 points off the bench.
Bates dropped 10 three-pointers in 18 attempts in the first half, as senior tri-captain guard Ramon Garcia (Haverhill, Mass.), junior tri-captain guard Brian Gerrity (Augusta, Maine), and junior guard Jon Furbush (South Portland, Maine) accounted for all 42 Bobcat points in the opening stanza. Garcia finished with 24 points to lead all scorers, while Gerrity had 21 points and six assists, and Furbush totaled 21 points and five rebounds. Freshman forward Rob Stockwell (Temple, N.H.) paced Bates with eight boards.
Bates (14-4) 42-29--71
Trinity, Conn. (16-1) 36-51--87