NEW LONDON, Conn. – David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) netted a career-high 27 points—and hit a game-tying shot at the end of regulation—to lead the Connecticut College men's basketball team to a 74-71 overtime victory over Bates College on Sunday afternoon at Luce Field House.

Coming off Friday's big win over Tufts University, Conn looked poised to pick up their second NESCAC victory of the weekend. The Camels played with the lead for nearly all of regulation, only to seemingly let the game slip away on a go-ahead three-pointer by Bates' Steph Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) with 4.4 seconds remaining. 

After Baxter's three went down, Conn quickly inbounded the ball to Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) in the back court. Flynn took a dribble before launching a long pass from foul line to foul line, connecting with Murray for a last-second attempt. The junior big man collected the ball at the foul line extended on the right wing and banked home the tying shot as time expired.

The basket reignited the Camels for overtime, as they scored on their first three possessions and vaulted back into the lead with a 7-0 run. After Murray scored to put Conn back in front, RJ Casey (Nashville, Tenn.) came up with a steal on the defensive end and later banked in a three from the wing. Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) then capped the stretch with a jumper off a screen to make it 70-63.

With 2:10 to go in overtime, the Bobcats trimmed the deficit back to three following another big bucket by Baxter. After a Conn turnover, Bates had a chance to even the score once more, but Schainfeld picked Baxter's pocket and stuck another mid-range jumper to pad the lead to five.

The visitors' final chance to tie the game came with 18 seconds left, but a three-pointer by Peter Psyhogeos (Yarmouth, Maine) drew iron. The Camels closed things out with free throws in the final 13 seconds, and a last-second layup by Baxter proved immaterial.  

Conn improved to 11-4 overall (2-0 NESCAC) and snapped a four-game losing streak to Bates. The Camels have already surpassed their win total from a year ago, and the 11 wins are the most since the 2016-17 season.

Murray's 27 points came on 12-for-18 shooting, and he also added six rebounds and a steal. Schainfeld finished with 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals, and Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) came off the bench to add 10 points and three boards.

The Camels shot 56 percent in the opening half and looked ready to run away with the game. Conn led by as many as 14 in the first as Murray set the tone with 13 points.

Bates trailed 37-27 at the break and needed every minute of the second half to make up the margin. Brady Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) scored 14 of his 17 points in the second stanza to lead the comeback. It was his three-pointer that cut Conn's lead in half with 2:30 left in regulation, and he later tacked on a pair of free throws to whittle the deficit to one. 

Baxter finished with 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting and added six rebounds and four assists to lead Bates (5-8 overall, 0-1 NESCAC). Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) chipped in 11 points while Devin Harris (Bear, Del.) was a spark off the bench in the second half, contributing 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. 

The Bobcats made up for 39-percent shooting by dominating the glass, finishing with a 45-28 edge in rebounds. Bates also grabbed 18 offensive boards and outscored Conn 21-0 in second-chance points.

Conn College will next host Trinity College on Friday, January 13 at 7:00 p.m.