Trinity opened up an early lead at 17-7, but Wesleyan fought back late in the first half, pulling within four points at 40-36 by intermission. Trinity junior forward Tyler Rhoten (Ridgwewood, N.J.) paced the Bantams with 12 points at the half, as Trinity overcame 52.0 percent field goal shooting by the Cardinals by forcing 14 turnovers. Wesleyan junior center Robert Kelly (Springfield, Mass.) led all scorers in the first half with 13 points.
The Cardinals continued their momentum in the second half, taking their first lead of the game less than three minutes after the break at 43-42. The teams traded leads over the next 16 minutes, before Taylor made a 15-foot jumper from the right corner to give the Bantams a 64-63 lead with less than a minute on the clock. Trinity got the ball back and Taylor hit another jumper to increase the Bantam advantage to three points, and stopped the Cardinals again on their last possession.
Taylor finished with 17 points and four rebounds, while Rhoten had a game-high 21 points and six boards. Trinity senior co-captain guard John Halas (White Plains, N.Y.) tallied 13 points, four boards, four assists, and three steals, and sophomore guard Patrick Haisuk (Enfield, Conn.) contributed nine points, and team-highs of nine rebounds and six assists. Kelly had 18 points and nine rebounds, while Cardinal senior captain guard Tim Holland (East Williston, N.Y.) scored a team-high 20 points with seven boards, and sophomore guard Jared Ashe (Stamford, Conn.) tallied 13 points, three assists, and three steals.
Wesleyan (11-7) 36-27--63
Trinity, Conn. (12-4) 40-28--68