NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team tipped off the new year with a 63-55 victory over Tufts University on Friday night in its NESCAC opener at Luce Field House.

The Camels improved to 10-4 overall (1-0 NESCAC) and topped the Jumbos for the first time since 2011. Tufts (9-3 overall, 0-1 NESAC) entered the game receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, with its only previous losses coming against Division I Harvard and top-ranked Saint Joseph's (Conn.).

David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) led all scorers with 16 points and secured his second double-double of the year with a career-high 15 rebounds. Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) and Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) added 12 points apiece while Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) rounded out the Camels in double digits with 10.

Murray kept the Camels close early, scoring the team's first eight points in the opening 4:39 of the contest. Both sides then turned up the defensive intensity over the next five minutes, resulting in only 11 combined points scored during the stretch.

The Camels outscored the Jumbos by a 16-5 margin in the final 8:09 of the stanza to seize control. A three-pointer by Rice yielded Conn's first lead at the 7:29 mark, and the hosts never trailed again. Murray capped the scoring with a bucket in the final seconds of the half to give the Camels a 29-21 edge at the break.

Conn led by as many as 16 in the second half and fought hard to protect the margin. After Tufts cut the deficit to 11 with 7:47 remaining and had a chance to pull within single digits, Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) drew a charge on the defensive end to fire up the Camels. On Conn's next offensive possession, Murray dove to the floor to secure a loose rebound, and Schainfeld drained a three to keep the momentum on Conn's side.

The Camels led by 13 with 2:54 to go but had to withstand a late flurry by the Jumbos, who shot their way back into the game from beyond the arc. Tufts hit four threes—including a pair by Theo Henry (Ardmore, Pa.)—during a 14-5 run that trimmed Conn's lead to four with 34 seconds left. However, the Camels were able to escape full-court pressure and got easy fast-break buckets from Hartel and Schainfeld to sew up the victory.

Trumann Gettings (Studio City, Calif.) and Casey Mclaren (Newburyport, Mass.) paced Tufts with 14 points apiece. 

Conn College will next host Bates College on Sunday, January 8 at 2:00 p.m.