Regis Men’s Hoop Loses to Trinity in Holiday Tourney

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Regis College men's basketball team lost to Trinity College, 96-72, Monday evening in the first game of the 2019 Trinity Holiday Invitational at Stan Ogrodnik Court.

Cam Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) led the Pride with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while Juvens Dalger (Oakland Park, Fla.), appearing in his first game of the season after recovering from an injury, notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Jalil Wilkerson (New Haven, Conn.) scored nine points, Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) collected eight points, and Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) added seven points and four assists off the bench.

Trinity (7-4) opened a 12-4 lead four minutes into the game before the Pride cut their deficit in half two minutes later thanks to a traditional three-point play from Wilkins. The Bantams put together a 12-2 scoring run to extend their lead to 24-10 midway through the first half, capped by a three-pointer from Steven Lora.

After Trinidad and Dalger hit consecutive baskets, Trinity scored eight unanswered points, including six points from Donald Jorden, to open a 32-14 advantage with six minutes left in the first half. Wilkins made consecutive shots to close the Pride deficit to 11 heading into the final minute, but four straight points from Jorden as well as a steal and basket by Joseph Bell right before the buzzer allowed the Bantams to go into halftime with a 45-28 lead.

Christian Porydzy opened the second half with a three-pointer, but Regis fought back with a 9-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Wilkerson. However, the Bantams basically put the game away with 14 unanswered points, punctuated by dunks from Jorden and Kyle Padmore.

Four Bantam players reached double figures in scoring, led by Jorden with 18 points on 8-of-10 field goal shooting along with 14 rebounds. Jadikas Brooks shot 7-of-9 from the field as he finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Porydzy hit four three-pointers as part of a 14-point performance and Padmore added 11 points and 10 assists.

As a team, Trinity shot 54.9 percent (39-of-71) from the field, including 11-of-27 from behind the three-point line, but just 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from the free throw line. The Bantams won the rebounding battle, 46-40, and scored 26 points off 17 Regis turnovers.

The Pride shot 41.4 percent (29-of-70) from the field, including 6-of-18 from behind the three-point line, but they also struggled from the charity stripe, hitting just 36.4 percent (8-of-22) of their free throw attempts. With a quick turnaround, Regis' reserves saw plenty of action, including Jackson Swihart (Miami, Fla.), who scored the first four points of his collegiate career.

Regis (1-7) will face Babson in the consolation game of the Trinity Holiday Invitational Tuesday, Dec. 31, starting at 12 p.m. The Pride will then host the Catholic Colleges Classic, taking on Rivier Thursday, Jan. 2, and Emmanuel Friday, Jan. 3, both with a 3 p.m. scheduled tip-off.