MEDFORD, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team opened NESCAC play with a 56-54 victory over No. 5 Tufts University on Friday night at Cousens Gymnasium.

With the score tied in the waning moments of the contest, Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) drove the lane and converted an acrobatic layup that put the Camels on top for good with 8.5 seconds to go. The Jumbos had a chance to respond, but a last-second attempt by Scott Gyimesi was off the mark.

Espinosa finished with a game-high 19 points to lead the Camels. David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds while Ben Rice chipped in 10 points and five boards. 

The Camels, who last won in Medford in 2011, improved to 7-1 on the road this season.

Espinsoa had the hot hand in the first half, drilling a three on the game's opening possession en route to 14 points in the stanza. The rest of his teammates followed suit, as Conn shot 54 percent in the half and went 5-for-10 from long range.

Midway through the half, the Camels used a 10-0 run to open up a double-digit lead. The stretch included five points from Espinosa, a three-pointer from Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) and a layup by Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) as Conn built the margin to 24-12 with 6:51 to play.

The two-man game between Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) and Murray yielded a pair of baskets in the final 1:10. Murray's dunk with 48 seconds to go in the half gave the Camels their biggest lead of the night at 35-19.

Tufts, which trailed 35-22 at intermission, spent most of the second half chipping away at the deficit. However, the Camels seemed to have an answer at every turn. When the Jumbos cut the lead to five with 8:58 to go, Murray and Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) supplied buckets to bring the lead back to nine. Later, Rice buried a big three to put Conn up 52-43 with 3:34 left.

Tufts clawed its way back with eight straight points to make it a one-point game with 1:54 to go. After Murray pump faked his way to an easy layup, the Jumbos tied the game when Khai Champion rattled in a three-pointer with 57 ticks left on the clock.

On the ensuing possession the Camels missed on a three from the corner, but Espinosa came up with a big offensive rebound near mid-court. After quick timeout, Conn put the ball in Espinosa's hands for a shot at the lead. The sophomore used a screen by Murray to get into the lane before threading between a pair of defenders and banking home the go-ahead bucket.

Schainfeld finished the game with four points, five assists, four steals and a pair of blocks in 35 minutes of action. Whelan and Flynn contributed six points apiece. 

Tufts was the third top-10 team that the Camels have faced this season. Conn's last win against a ranked opponent came last season against Middlebury.

Conn (10-3 overall, 1-0 NESCAC) will next play at Bates College on Sunday, January 7 at 1:00 p.m.