NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team remained unbeaten in NESCAC play with a 58-52 victory over Trinity College on Friday night at Luce Field House.
The Camels used a 10-0 run over the final 4:56 to pull out the win, improving to 12-4 overall and while vaulting to the top of the NESCAC standings at 3-0. Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) scored five of his game-high 13 points during the spurt, and he finished the night with five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 36 minutes of action.
The defensive intensity on both ends of the floor resulted in a low-scoring first half. Neither side led by more than five points, but it was the Bantams who settled in with a 27-23 advantage at the break.
Trinity played with the lead for most of the second half, taking its biggest lead at 45-36 following a corner three by Sean Okpoebo (Leonminster, Mass.) with 11:11 to go. Conn cut into the deficit behind a pair of buckets from David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) and back-to-back threes from Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) and Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine).
Trailing by four, Conn kicked into high gear for the final five minutes. A three-pointer by Schainfeld got things started, and two minutes later Hartel converted one of two at the line to tie the game at 52-52.
After the Camels got a stop on the defensive end, Schainfeld came off a screen at the top of the key and buried a jumper from the left wing to put the hosts in front for good. Murray then padded the lead with a big basket on Conn's next trip down the floor, and Whelan tacked on late free throws to seal the win.
After shooting 35 percent in the first half, the Camels made up for it in the second. Conn shot 62 percent over the final 20 minutes and went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Whelan and Hartel each finished with 10 points while Murray contributed eight. Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) came off the bench to grab a game-high eight rebounds and tacked on seven points.
The last Conn team to start 3-0 against NESCAC competition was the 1998-99 squad, which opened the season with 28 straight wins and advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals.
Trinity (14-2 overall, 2-1 NESCAC) had its five-game winning streak snapped. C.J. Redd (Peekskill, N.Y.) paced the Bantams with 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting.
Conn College will next play at Wesleyan University on Sunday, January 15 at 2:00 p.m.