BOSTON, Mass. – Led by Tournament MVP Ed Oqundeko, the 12^th ranked Bantams of Trinity College (CT) defeated men's basketball by the final of 77-54 in the championship game of the 31^st Annual Harbor Invitational Saturday afternoon in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 54, #12 Trinity College (CT) 77

UMass Boston (3-2, 0-0 Little East Conference)
Trinity College (3-1, 0-0 NESCAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Against their first nationally-ranked opponent of the year, the Beacons put together one of their hardest fought performances of the season.  Led by All-Tournament selection Quadry Allen (White Castle, La.) the Beacons tried to topple the Bantams, but could not pull it out in the end.  UMass held Trinity to single digits on multiple occasions, thanks to huge shots from both Allen, Michael Campbell (Boston, Mass.), and All-Tournament honoree Maurice Magras (Medford, Mass.). 

Allen finished the loss with a team-best 15 points, as he went 5-for-13 from the field, 3-for-6 from behind the arc.  Campbell dropped in 11 points, while Magras finished with 10 points.  On the glass junior Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) grabbed with a team-best seven boards.

For the Bantams, it was all Ogundeko as he dropped in 22 points, while also finishing with 15 boards, and three blocked shots.  All-Tournament selection Jaquann Starts finished second on the team with 19 points, six boards, and had four assists.  Fellow big-man Shay Ajayi finished with 11 boards in the win.

The Beacons had to weather an early rush from the Bantams as they took a 13 point lead in the first three minutes of the contest.  UMass would keep Trinity in check for most of the opening half, and with just over five minutes until the halftime break, made a huge push to cut into the Bantams deficit.  A lay-up by Allen would spark an 8-2 run to cut Trinity's lead to eight with 3:50 to play.

The Bantams did get their lead back to double-figures, but that did not last as Neil Cesar (Randolph, Mass.) and Kevin Louis-Jean (Hyde Park, Mass.) made it a seven-point game with 2:44 left.  Trinity did manage to close out the first half with a huge 3-pointer by Paul Colson to take a 41-30 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Bantams came out with a quick basket, but was answered by a 3-pointer from Campbell.  The two teams would exchange baskets, but with a jumper by Campbell and a three by Allen, the Beacons found themselves back to within seven.  Unfortunately that would prove to be UMass Boston's final push, as the Bantams exploded offensively to earn the victory.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The championship game appearance marked the third straight for UMass Boston
• Trinity College won their fourth tournament title, and third in the last six years having won it in 2010 and 2011.  They also won it in 1995.
• The Bantams entered the tournament ranked 12^th on the D3Hoops.com Top-25 Preseason Coaches' Poll

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will host MIT on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.