NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team knocked off No. 7 Middlebury College, 60-49, Friday night in a NESCAC matchup at Luce Field House.
In what was a high-intensity game throughout, Conn used a 12-2 run inside the final six minutes to gain separation. Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) led the charge with six points in the spurt, and the Camels fended off the Panthers down the stretch to pick up their biggest victory of the season.
With the win, the Camels improved to 5-4 in league play and clinched a berth in the upcoming NESCAC Championship. Conn's overall record now stands at 14-9, the most wins for the program since the 2007-08 season.
Middlebury (19-4 overall), which entered the game atop the NESCAC standings, dropped to 7-3 and slipped into second place.
David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) and Alex Sobel (Setauket, N.Y.) didn't disappoint in a showdown of the conference's top big men. Murray finished with a game-high 17 points and added 10 rebounds and a block in 28 minutes. Sobel paced the Panthers with 15 points and tacked on 17 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Conn led by as many as nine in the opening half as Murray got off to a strong start. After Middlebury pulled even behind a 9-0 stretch, the final 10 minutes of the half was played in a tight window. Caelin Peters (Hamilton, Bermuda) provided a boost with a pair of buckets in the final 1:23 of the stanza, giving the Camels a 26-22 lead at the break.
In the second half, Middlebury pulled in front with 11 unanswered points to lead 37-31 with 11:39 to go. However, RJ Casey (Nashville, Tenn.) drove the lane and dished off to Murray for a dunk that shifted the momentum. Minutes later, a three-pointer by Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) cut the deficit to one, and a pair of free throws by Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) put Conn back on top with 6:58 left.
Flynn was huge during the 12-2 stretch that put the Camels in front for good. After cutting through the lane for a layup in the paint, he followed with a steal on the defensive end that led to another easy basket. Minutes later, Peters found Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) for a thunderous dunk that brought the raucous home crowd to its feet. Another layup by Flynn capped the run and left the hosts with a 54-45 advantage with 2:23 to go.
Conn sealed the win from the free throw line, but the real story was its defense. The Camels limited Middlebury to only six points in the final six minutes, in addition to holding the Panthers to just 27-percent shooting for the game.
Conn's bench outscored Middlebury's by a 23-11 margin. Peters netted all eight of his points in the first half while Hartel also chipped in eight.
Conn College wraps up regular season play against Williams College on Sunday, February 12 at 2:00 p.m.