SAN ANTONIO – Trinity's third-ranked women's basketball team opened up the 2023 calendar year with a 74-63 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Colorado College on Monday afternoon.

Trinity improved to 13-0 overall and 4-0 in SCAC play, while Colorado College fell to 6-6 overall and suffered its first conference loss (3-1). The TU Tigers are now one of just two teams without a loss in SCAC action this season. Colorado College trailed by just four points early in the fourth quarter, but Trinity used a 16-1 run to take command of the game. 

Maggie Shipley (Arlington, Va. / Yorktown) led Trinity with a season-best 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting in just 19 minutes off the bench. She also hit 4-of-5 from the foul line and recorded a pair of steals.

Addie Putnam (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep) and Ashlyn Milton (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo) also reached double figures in today's game for the TU Tigers. Milton scored all 10 of her points in the first half, while Putnam scored nine of her 12 points in the final two quarters. Milton hit 4-for-4 from the field and both of her three-point attempts, adding four rebounds and four assists. Putnam had three assists and tied Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano) for the team lead with five rebounds. Robbins also had seven assists and four steals (both team-highs).

Trinity will resume SCAC play this weekend, playing both University of Dallas and Austin College on the road. The Tigers face Dallas on Friday, followed by a Saturday afternoon game against Austin College.

The Rundown
The game opened with Colorado College scoring five quick points to take the early lead, but the Tigers immediately answered with an 8-0 run of its own to pull in front. Trinity still held a slim lead when Milton hit her second three-pointer of the quarter, followed by another Tiger bucket to push the margin to six (15-9) with under five minutes remaining. The lead was still four points at the 2:37 mark, but Colorado College scored the final five points of the quarter to take a 19-18 lead after one.

Milton and Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) tied the game up twice in the opening minutes of the second quarter, then Putnam hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 7:01 left in the half and Trinity remained in the lead the rest of the period. Milton scored her 10th point of the half with 1:41 remaining to put Trinity up 31-26, but Colorado College closed to within 33-31 at the break. Napoli had seven points at halftime, while Robbins had four assists in the first two quarters.

Trinity netted the first bucket of the second half in the opening seconds, but Colorado College kept the game close. The lead edged out to five points after just three minutes of action, but Colorado College rallied with five straight points to tie things up 42-42 with under six to play in the period. Shipley then scored the first five points of an 8-0 run that put Trinity in front for good. Shipley then hit a three-pointer to put the TU Tigers up by nine late in the quarter, but Colorado College hit a three of its own to make it a 53-47 game heading into the final period.

Colorado College opened the fourth with a pair of free throws to pull within four points, but Trinity scored 16 of the next 17 points to take a 65-50 lead with just four minutes left. Shipley scored six of the eight points scored by Trinity at one point during the run that essentially clinched the win. Colorado College drew within eight points at 2:24, but Trinity scored seven of the next nine points – including five from Shipley – to push the lead back to 13 with 1:26 to go.

Coach Speak
"Colorado is good. Period," said Head Coach Cameron Hill. "They recruit well, they have a complete team of very talented players, and they compete. I really respect them. They are are like a young Michael Jordan. You can see what's coming. We have been together for a few more years, so we are like old Mike! Either way, I promised these matchups will never disappoint! Just like Mike! Happy 2023!!"

Up Next
Trinity will be back on the road this weekend, taking on the University of Dallas and Austin College in more SCAC action. The weekend begins against Dallas at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 6.