WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Coming off a statement win against Baruch College in the Kean Classic down in New Jersey, Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball returned to Geissler Gymnasium for their 50^th Anniversary season home opener against Trinity College on Saturday. In what turned out to be a defensive battle between the two in-state schools, the Warriors (1-3) were outscored 17-9 by the Bantams (2-1) down the stretch in the fourth quarter resulting in a 55-48 defeat, dropping to 1-3 to start the season.
 
    Eastern would start off strong with senior forward Anna Barry (Andover) hitting a layup and subsequent free throw to put the Warriors ahead by three in the opening minute. Trinity would respond with four consecutive points of their own when junior guard Bria Fuller hit a jumper and first-year guard Indianna DelRocco converted on two free throws to reclaim the lead for the Bantams. Both teams would continue to trade baskets back and forth with Eastern taking their largest lead of the first frame at four points following a layup by first-year forward Taylor Salato (East Haven). Trinity would respond again with sophomore forward Alaina Holmes making a pair of free throws and senior guard Bailey Hyland hitting a layup following a steal by first-year guard Hannah Marzo to tie things up heading into the second quarter.
 
    Similar to the first quarter, the Warriors would start fast and jump out to a four-point lead after a layup and jumper from senior guard Jenna Serrantino (Cromwell) and senior guard Julie Keckler (Trumbull) respectively. Junior center Samantha Gallo and sophomore guard Tori Varsamis would respond for the Bantams to pull the game even again, 18-18, with about five minutes remaining in the first half. After Varsamis briefly gave Trinity the lead with 4:08 remaining, Eastern would use a 5-0 run by Keckler behind a layup and three pointer to close out the second with a four-point advantage, 25-21, heading into the break.
 
    Keckler and Serrantino finished the first half with nine points each on a combined 8-18 shooting and 2-7 from three-point land. The guard duo played 18 and 19 minutes respectively during the first half.
 
    Coming out of the break, the Warriors would take their largest lead of the game with 9:16 left in the third quarter after senior forward Aiyana Ward (Waterbury) hit a layup to put Eastern ahead by six. But then Bria Fuller would propel Trinity on a 4-0 run to pull the Bantams back within two in the early going of the third. Keckler and Serrantino would respond by scoring the next three points for the Warriors between a free throw by senior center Elizabeth Althoff to put Eastern ahead by three. In the middle of the third, Anna Barry and Fuller would trade baskets for their respective teams, each scoring four points apiece amidst shots by Gallo and Hyland for the Bantams who took their first lead, 35-34, since 4:08 remained in the second quarter. Barry would end up scoring seven of the last nine points in the third for Eastern with the other two coming off a Keckler layup that put the Warriors ahead by one to close the third.
 
    Barry began the fourth for Eastern by scoring their first five points to make it 12 of 14 possible points scored for the Warriors, a stretch that began at the 5:29 mark of the third. The Barry-led run saw Eastern ahead still by just one with 7:21 remaining in regulation before a scoring drought would prove costly for the Warriors. Over the next six-plus minutes Eastern would only scoring two points off a Serrantino basket with 5:10 remaining while Trinity would use a 12-4 run spearheaded by seven points from Fuller to give the Bantams the 55-48 victory over Eastern on the road.
 
    Bria Fuller finished as the sole Trinity player in double figures, scoring 22 points, including 18 in the second half, on 5-12 shooting. Fuller would convert on 12 of her 14 free throw attempts, all of which came in the second half of the contest. The Bantams as a team shot 9-11 from the free throw line in both the third and fourth quarter en route to a 76% shooting day from the charity stripe after coming into the game shooting just 55% from the line this year.
 
    Anna Barry, Julie Keckler, and Jenna Serrantino combined for 42 of Eastern's 48 points, each scoring in double figures while Barry led the way with 17 points followed by Keckler with 13 points, and Serrantino rounding out the trio with 12 points on the afternoon.
 
    The Warriors will head back on the road to square off with Western New England University on Tuesday, November 23^rd at Alumni Healthful Living Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 PM. Eastern has dropped their last three matchups against the Golden Bears after winning the first nine matchups between the two New England teams. The most recent loss came during the 2019-2020 season when the Warriors fell 68-54 at home to Western New England. The last win for Eastern against Western New England came during the 2016-2017 season on the road, 66-56.