Trinity Women’s Basketball Nets Two Huge Wins

Lily Ives ’23

Sports Editor

The Trinity women’s basketball team is on a mission. In the wake of 11 straight days without playing a game, it seems nothing can slow down their furious momentum right now. Since finally being able to take to the court again, the Bantams have roared back with enormous wins over two rival New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foes. Just two days apart, the Trinity women’s basketball team conquered a hard-fought thriller over the Middlebury Panthers, and a stunning and definitive upset against the number seven nationally ranked Tufts Jumbos. 

On Wednesday night, February 2, the Bantams showcased their grit on the court by edging Middlebury in the fourth quarter and coming through with a nail-biting 62-59 win. Sophomore Reilly Campbell ’24 soared with an outstanding performance, netting a double-double with a season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. Middlebury led the Bantams at halftime 32-31 and then built on their advantage by extending their lead to five at the end of the third quarter with a lead of 48-43. This momentum carried the Middlebury Panthers into the fourth quarter, where they tallied six straight points and claimed their largest lead of the game, leading the Bantams by 11 points. Little did Middlebury know at that time in the game, they were about to face a fierce Trinity surge that would flip the game. In just a matter of minutes, the Bantam’s deficit was cut to five thanks to sophomore Reilly Campbell’s three layups in a row. With the energy now on the side of the Bantams, Trinity senior Bailey Hyland ’22 forced a turnover and scored two consecutive layups. With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, sophomore Tori Varsamis ’24 sank a clutch three-pointer, tying the score up at 59. The Bantams were able to secure the win with a layup and free-throw by senior Elizabeth Althoff ’22.  

As if pulling out that fourth quarter win against Middlebury wasn’t thrilling enough, the Bantams now had to face highly rated Tufts, two days later, as they hosted the Jumbos in their annual “Pride Game.” The Trinity women came out on fire and secured an impressive 60-42 win over the talented Tufts squad, handing the Jumbos just their third loss of the season. Senior Bailey Hyland and junior Samantha Gallo led the Bantams with dominant performances, combining for 29 of their team’s points. Sophomores Reilly Campbell and Tori Varsamis also contributed strongly with nine points each. Unlike Trinity’s close win against Middlebury, the Bantams were able to build a considerable lead versus Tufts with a strong first quarter. The Bantams soared to a 17-point lead in the game’s first ten minutes. Though the Jumbos put up quite the fight in the final quarter of the game by posting eight straight unanswered points, their efforts would simply not be enough. It was the perfect example of that timeless that sports cliché, ‘too little too late.’ With these back-to-back wins, the Trinity Bantams are now an impressive 5-1 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference and improve to 13-4 in overall play.