MIDDLETOWN, CT (February 28, 2026) – Second-seed and No. 9 Tufts University brought the game to within five points with 3:57 left to go, but were unable to get over the hump as the Jumbos fell to third-seed and No. 3 Trinity College (Conn.) in the NESCAC Tournament semifinals at Silloway Gymnasium.
With the loss, Tufts (20-5) will now wait to see where and when it will play in the NCAA Tournament. The Jumbos are heavy favorites to receive a spot in the 64-team tournament starting next Friday, March 6. Trinity will take on host Wesleyan University at 12 PM on Sunday, March 1 in the NESCAC Championship.
The Bantams took a quick 14-4 lead over the Jumbos four minutes into the first half after Drew Lazarre knocked down a three, buried another jumper inside the arc, and finished off a three-point play to give him 8 points early on.
Tufts cut the deficit to four after an 8-2 run.
James Morakis and
Ricardo Nieves each buried a deep ball, while
Robbie Nyamwaya contributed a layup to make it a 16-12 lead for Trinity with 13:35 remaining in the opening 20 minutes.
The Bantams lead did not surpass eight until Henry Vetter hit a three off a fast break opportunity which gave Trinity a 12-point 47-35 advantage with 44 seconds to go until halftime.
Zion Watt drilled a shot from long range to make it a nine point lead heading into the break.
Tufts' deficit shrank to four with seven and a half minutes to go with a layup from
Joshua Bernstein, but the Bantams stood strong and brought the lead back to double digits to secure their spot in the NESCAC Championship game.
Bernstein led all Tufts' scorers with 18 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, added eight rebounds, three assists, and went 2-of-5 from the stripe. Morakis finished with 13 points in 15 minutes and Nieves posted 10 points along with four boards.
Tufts shot a respectable 44.0 percent (22/50) from the field and 33.3 percent (7/21) from beyond the arc.
Trinity had four players with 10 or more points, Lazarre and Vetter each collected 16 points, while Jarrel Okorougo captured 14, and David Ayles finished with 11.
The Jumbos faced a 38-33 rebounding deficit. Tufts shot 73.1 percent (19-26) from the free throw line, while Trinity captured an impressive 85.0 percent (17-20) mark from the foul line.
Tufts will find out where, when, and who it will play next weekend in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 2 at 1 pm with the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Show on NCAA.com.
--JUMBOS--
