HARTFORD, CT – In their final matchup of a four-game streak on the road in Connecticut, the Williams Ephs (9-12, 3-5 NESCAC) fell behind early against the Trinity Bantams (15-4, 7-1 NESCAC) and couldn't mount a comeback in a 66-55 loss.
With 2:45 to play and the Bantams leading by seven, Trinity guard Indianna Delrocco passed the ball to forward-center Sam Gallo, who found an open lane to the hoop after a successful pick-and-roll. Though Gallo missed the ensuing layup, Delrocco secured the rebound and immediately hoisted up a putback that rolled around the rim until it finally went in, giving the Bantams a commanding nine-point advantage in the final minutes. An offensive foul on Williams guard
Cortland McBarron '25 effectively sealed the game.
"We played pretty well, but they're the top team in the conference for a reason," remarked Eph head coach
Pat Manning, who admired the Ephs' fight against a formidable opponent. "They came up with big shots when they had to, but we fought for 40 minutes, and I'm really proud of our effort. I think this was a big growth game for us."
Despite center Reilly Campbell getting in significant foul trouble, the Bantams managed to hang on to win the game, sustaining several Williams runs that brought the game within five points. Gallo (20p, 13r) recorded a double-double and sparked the Trinity offense in Campbell's absence. Delrocco (14p) provided efficient shooting from the field (4 for 5, 80.0%) and from the line (4 for 6, 66.7%). Even in just 13 minutes, Campbell (9p) finished tied for third on the Bantams in scoring.
Guard
Maggie Meehan '22 (13p) led the Ephs in scoring but shot just 6 for 20 (30.0%) from the field and 1 for 8 (12.5%) from beyond the arc. Forward
Maddy Mandyck (10p) was the only other Eph to score in double figures, and was held to just four rebounds – well below her season average of 11.3 rebounds per game. As a team, the Ephs were outrebounded 42-27.
"I think rebounding was a major factor, and overall, we didn't rebound well." admitted Manning, who also noted that the Ephs focused heavily on stopping Trinity's explosive transition offense and may have given up some offensive rebounding opportunities as a result. "We may have gotten a little too concerned with their transition game, because they can play fast, and we didn't crash enough to get us some second looks."
The Bantams staked themselves out to an 18-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and started the second quarter on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 13. But the Ephs chipped away at the Trinity lead for the rest of the second quarter, with Meehan and Mandyck scoring the first 10 Williams points on a 13-2 run to get back into the game.
The last three points of the run were scored by Biesbrock, who hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just two with 59 seconds to play in the half. Trinity guard Tori Barsamis, however, responded with a three of her own to make it 29-24 at halftime.
Campbell picked up her third foul less than a minute into the third quarter. The Ephs took advantage of her absence, cutting the Trinity lead to just two points after forward
Arianna Gerig '25 made both free throws off a shooting foul by Trinity guard Liz Althoff.
The Bantams responded with an 8-0 run that included a three-point play by Gallo and a three-point shot by guard Hannah Marzo. But Eph guard-forward
Mia Holtze then scored five consecutive points to narrow the deficit to five, and Campbell picked up her fourth foul with just under a minute to go in the quarter. The Ephs finished the third quarter down by just four, and the Bantams' star center didn't play for the rest of the game.
Trinity, however, found a way to hold strong. Gallo set the tone for the fourth quarter with a three-point play on the Bantams' opening possession to extend the lead back to seven, and while Meehan made a jump shot to make it a five-point game with 5:32 to play, Delrocco immediately responded with a jumper of her own to make it a 52-45 game with just under five minutes to go. Neither team scored until Delrocco's clutch layup with under three minutes left.
The Ephs attempted a season-high 23 three-pointers, but only made six of them (26.1%). "Some of [the three-point attempts] were good, some of them were not the best," commented Manning. "We've been seeing a lot of zone lately, and we have to work the ball around a little bit better and improve at our inside-outside attack. We had some looks, and just didn't finish when we had the chance."
The Bantams, on the other hand, were slightly more efficient from deep, going 4 for 10 (40.0%). Trinity's most significant advantage, though, came from the charity stripe. Despite Williams, who led the NESCAC coming into this game with a 72.6% free throw percentage, going 7 for 8 (87.5%) from the line, Trinity made 20 of their 24 attempts (83.3%), many of which came in the final minutes when the Ephs were trying to stage a final comeback attempt.
Still, Manning was optimistic about the team's trajectory going forward and their growth over the course of the season, especially considering how close they played Trinity for the entire game despite falling behind early. "I don't think the scoreboard reflects what we did in this game," said Manning. "We had a lot of really good minutes."
This Friday at 7PM, the Ephs will come back home to play their second-to-last regular season game against Bates (11-6, 3-3 NESCAC).
