Springfield, Mass. - December 30, 2022 - The Springfield College women's basketball team was toppled by Trinity College, 58-45, in Blake Arena on Friday night in their opening game of the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic. 

Springfield, which was ranked 13th both the D3hoops.com and WBCA Division III Coaches Poll, dropped to 9-2, while the Bantams, who were receiving votes in the national polls, improved to 10-1.  Sam Hourihan (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Kayla Madden (Ashland, Mass.) each scored 12 points in the setback as the Pride shot 14-for-55 (25%) in the game and were outrebounded by a 52-29 margin.  Trinity was paced by Reilly Campbell and Emma Wax, who combined for 34 points and 22 rebounds.

After Rachel Vinton (Rutland, Mass.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:33 left in the opening quarter which gave Springfield a 12-9 lead, the Bantams would drill three from beyond the arc in the next two-plus minutes to take a 18-12 lead with 1:31 on the clock. Four of the visitors six made field goals in the opening 10 minutes were from downtown as they opened up an 18-14 lead entering the second.

The Pride would regain a 20-18 lead on a corner three from Madden, only to have Trinity respond with a 10-1 push to open up a 28-21 cushion with 4:19 remaining in the half following a jumper from Campbell. An inside finish from Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) would cut it to 30-26 in the waning seconds, but Trinity would score inside at the horn en route to a 32-26 halftime advantage.  

Madden canned a three-pointer just over a minute into the third quarter to bring the Pride within 34-31, but Trinity responded with the game's next seven points as the lead grew to 41-31 with 5:23 on the clock following another Campbell jumper.  Springfield would make one final push midway through the fourth quarter, getting to 52-45 on a two freebies from Madden, but the Bantams closed the game with the final six points to seal the victory. 

Springfield will conclude the two-day Naismith Classic on Saturday when it hosts Wilkes at 7:30 pm.

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