Conn College Races Past JWU

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team wrapped up the fall semester with a commanding 67-34 victory over Johnson & Wales University on Monday night at the Wildcat Center.

The Camels turned in another strong performance on the road, racing out to an early lead and never trailing in the contest. Conn held JWU to 4-for-20 shooting in the first half and led 32-12 at the break.

The visitors expanded the margin to as many as 37 in the second half before calling off the dogs, improving to 8-2 overall heading into the exam break. The 34 points were the fewest allowed by the Camels since 2012 (33 points vs. Coast Guard).

David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points and added nine rebounds, two blocks and three steals. Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) and Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) also finished in double figures with 11 points apiece. Schainfeld filled up the stat sheet with five assists and a career-high eight steals.

The Camels opened the game with buckets on their first three possessions and never looked back. Espinosa got things started with a pull-up jumper and, following a Schainfeld steal, quickly added a three-pointer. Another Schainfeld steal led to a layup by Murray that gave Conn a 7-0 advantage just 1:50 into the game.

Conn later opened up a double-digit cushion behind a 16-2 run that included back-to-back threes from Schainfeld. A layup by Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) capped the spurt and left the Camels with a 23-6 lead with 5:59 remaining in the half.

Schainfeld added his third trey of the half with 2:05 to go, and Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) tacked on another in the final minute to give Conn a 20-point advantage at intermission. Murray and Schainfeld, who each had nine points in the stanza, combined to outscore the entire JWU team.

In the second half, Conn used a 19-4 stretch to pump the lead to 62-25 with 7:36 to play. The Camels forced 20 turnovers and finished the game with a 22-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Conn will next play RPI in the opening round of the Utica University Classic on Friday, December 29.