FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Defending national champion and top-ranked Trinity used a balanced scoring attack and 27 bench points to hold off a furious Tufts rally, defeating the Jumbos 69-66 in the NCAA Quarterfinals  at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Bantams advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four for the third consecutive year.

Henry Vetter led the Bantams (29-2) with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Jared Berry came off the bench to score 14 points, going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. Joshua Bernstein powered Tufts with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Jon Medley added 17.

Trinity built its largest lead at 12 points, 53-41, with 10:26 remaining in the second half on a Samuel Norris free throw. But Tufts clawed back, cutting the deficit to two on a Bernstein jumper with 1:30 left. Vetter answered with a mid-range jumper, and Berry sealed it with a layup off an offensive rebound to keep the Bantams in control.

No. 12 Tufts (23-6) shot just 34.4 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range while Trinity shot 38.1 percent from the floor and was only 1 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Bantams combined for 36 points in the paint and went 20-for-29 from the foul line.

Trinity will play Mary Washington winner on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN+. The other national semifinal features Emory versus Christopher Newport (5:30 p.m.). The semifinal winners advance to the national championship game set for Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on April. 5