NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team held on for a 69-63 victory over Emmanuel College on Wednesday night in a non-conference clash at Luce Field House.
The Camels led by double digits for most of the second half but saw the lead shrink in the final minutes. The Saints closed the gap with a 12-0 run and made it a one-possession game with 30 seconds to play. However, Conn wrapped things up from the free throw line in the final moments to nab its first home win of the season.
Conn never trailed in the game and shot 43 percent from the floor while going 6-for-16 from behind the arc. David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) led the Camels with 18 points and eight rebounds while Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) added 12 points and three assists.
The trio of Ryan Grijalva, Zaire Baines and Donte Pope combined for all but four of Emmanuel's points on the night. Grijalva played all 40 minutes and finished with a game-high 25 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Baines shot 4-for-8 from three en route to 18 points while Pope chipped in 16.
Conn got off to a good start, as a layup by Murray, a three by Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) and a bucket by Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) yielded a 7-0 lead just 2:28 into the contest. Later, a four-point play by Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) pushed the margin to double digits at 17-7 with 10:59 to go in the half.
Grijalva kept the Saints in the game with 13 points in the first half. Emmanuel whittled the deficit back to single digits and trailed by only four in the final minute of the stanza, but Espinosa closed the half with a three to give the Camels a 36-29 edge at the break.
A three-point play by Murray and a three-pointer from Schainfeld pumped Conn's lead to double digits in the opening minutes of the second half. The Camels enjoyed a comfortable lead for most of the half, until Emmanuel came roaring back in the final five minutes.
A layup by Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) padded the lead to 66-51 with 4:55 left, but it would be Conn's final field goal of the night. A three-pointer by Pope cut the deficit to eight with 2:37 to go, and Grijalva followed with a basket at the 1:09 mark. Baines then capped the stretch with a three-ball to make it 66-63 with 29 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing Conn possession, the Saints nearly caused a turnover but were whistled for a foul. Whelan stepped to the line and calmly sank both freebies, and Espinosa later added another with five seconds to go for the final margin.
Conn (6-2 overall) will next host Baruch College on Saturday, December 9 at 2:30 p.m.