TO NCAA FIRST ROUND WIN OVER LASELL
Bantams Visit Brockport in Second Round Game Saturday
Sophomore forward Tyler Rhoten (Ridgewood, N.J.) recorded game-highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 72-66 win over the visiting Lasell College Lasers in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament action this evening at Ray Oosting Gymnasium.
Trinity, ranked No. 16 in the nation, improves to 22-4 and will travel to western New York to play Brockport State in an NCAA Second Round game on Sat., Mar. 6. The Lasers finish the season with a 25-4 mark with their first loss in 11 games.
Trinity scored seven out of the game’s final 10 points, after Lasell had cut a double-digit Bantam lead to 65-63 with just under two minutes remaining on three free throws by senior forward Evans Cazeau (Medford, Mass.) and a traditional three-point play by junior center Demetrius DeJesus (Bronx, N.Y.). Three different Trinity players totaled seven free throws in nine attempts down the stretch and the Bantam defense held the Lasers to just two field goal attempts and three free throws over the final 1:43 to seal the victory.
The Lasers opened the game with a 9-4 run in the opening 1:17, but Trinity methodically fought its way back to tie the score at 10-10 at the 17:12 mark on a lay-up by Rhoten. The game remained very close for the next seven minutes, before the Bantams used a 7-2 run to go ahead, 26-19, on a lay-up by freshman forward Michael Hoar (Pembroke, Mass.) with 8:55 on the clock. Trinity held its lead for the remainder of the first half, and led, 39-29, at the break. Rhoten led all scorers with 18 points at the break, while Cazeau had 11 points for Lasell.
Rhoten made 10 out of 21 shots from the field and seven out of nine from the charity stripe, and added three blocker shots. Bantam senior tri-captain guard Shaun Smyth (Manchester, Conn.) had 17 points, sinking six of his seven attempts from the floor and four out of five from the foul line, and added four boards, while freshman forward Robert Taylor (Dorchester Center, Mass.) finished with 11 points off the bench. Bantam junior tri-captain guard Jesse Farrell (Minneapolis, Minn.) tallied a game-high six assists.
Cazeau paced the Lasers with 21 points, along with five boards, and three steals, while senior forward Napoleon Sandeford (San Diego, Calif.) had 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, and senior co-captain guard Stern Chamblain (Everett, Mass.) recorded 11 points and four rebounds.
Lasell (25-4) 29-37--66
Trinity, Conn. (22-4) 39-33--72