NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit in the second half but couldn't hold on down the stretch, falling to Johnson & Wales University by a 60-53 final on Monday night at Luce Field House.
Conn trailed by 14 at the break—its largest halftime deficit of the season—before rallying back behind a big second half from David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) and Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.). The duo combined for 20 of the team's 30 points over the final 20 minutes. Murray finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals while Schainfeld contributed 14 points and nine boards.
A three-pointer by Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) gave the Camels their first lead of the second half with 4:01 remaining. However, the Wildcats tied the game on their next possession and took the lead for good on a three by Josh Zangerle (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), who led all scorers with 23 points.
Johnson & Wales closed the game with an 11-2 run over the final 3:29 to seal the victory, improving to 2-4 on the season. Chris Botolino (Barnstable, Mass.) came off the bench to contribute 10 points while Jontai Williams (Bronx, N.Y.) and Bryan Davis (Miramar, Fla.) chipped in nine apiece.
The Wildcats used a 15-0 run early in the game to jump out to a 21-8 lead. A jumper by Schainfeld snapped a five-minute scoreless stretch for the Camels, who shot just 27 percent for the half. Johnson & Wales led by as many as 15 points before settling in with a 37-23 lead at intermission.
Conn opened the second half with a 9-2 spurt to wipe away a big chunk of the deficit early. Later, Murray spurred a 12-0 run to pull the Camels even at 46-46 with 8:09 to go. The junior big man scored six points during the run, including a dunk that tied the game and forced a JWU timeout.
Zangerle responded with a three out of the timeout to snap the Wildcats out of their funk. Murray continued to carry the Camels, scoring in the paint with 5:35 left to make it a one-point game. Two possessions later, he grabbed a big offensive rebound and kicked out to Whelan for the go-ahead three from the wing.
After Zangerle's three put JWU back on top with 2:44 to go, the Camels came up empty on back-to-back possessions. Still, Conn trailed by only three until Aireus Raspberry (Cranston, R.I.) banked in a shot with 44 seconds left as the shot clock expired. The Wildcats then went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 29 seconds to secure the win.
Conn College (8-3 overall) returns to action on December 29 at the Emory Holiday Classic in Atlanta, Ga. The Camels will face the host Eagles at 4:00 p.m.