WILLIAMSVILLE, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team ended the regular season with a 62-59 setback to Williams College on Sunday afternoon at Chandler Gymnasium.

The Camels came up short in the final moments, missing on late chances to either tie or take the lead. Conn had erased an eight-point deficit and taken a 59-58 lead on a basket by David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) with 1:10 to go. However, Alex Lee responded with a bucket on the ensuing possession to put the Ephs on top for good.

With the win, Williams improved to 19-5 overall and 9-1 in NESCAC action. The Ephs finished tied for first place in the league standings and will be the top seed in the upcoming NESCAC Championship.

Conn dropped to 18-6 overall and 8-2 in league play. The Camels finished third in the NESCAC standings—tying their highest-ever finish—and will host a quarterfinals game in the conference tournament for the first time in 22 years.   

Murray paced Conn with 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting and also collected seven rebounds. Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) chipped in 13 points and six rebounds while Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) supplied 12 points and four steals.

The Camels scored the first six points of the game and led for a majority of the first half. The Ephs swung the momentum with a 9-0 run late in the half, which yielded their first lead and a 28-24 advantage with 3:27 to play in the stanza. Conn kept within striking distance, and a jumper by Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) cut the deficit to 30-28 heading into the break.

Early in the second half, a 9-0 spurt put the Camels back on top 39-37 with 15:06 remaining. Schainfeld provided five points during the stretch, including a three-point play that pushed Conn back in front.

The teams traded blows—and the lead—over the next several minutes. Williams pulled away with seven straight points, taking its biggest lead of the day at 55-47 with 6:49 to go.

The Camels closed the gap over the next five minutes, using a 10-2 spurt to pull even at 57-57. Espinosa drilled a big three during the stretch, and Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) buried a baseline jumper that tied the game with 1:51 left.

After a free throw put Williams back up by one, the Camels went to Murray in the post for a chance at the lead. He bullied his way through two defenders to bank in the go-ahead shot, giving Conn a one-point advantage with 70 seconds to go.

Following a timeout, Lee scored in the paint to put the Ephs back on top. The Camels missed a pair of threes on their next possession and were forced to foul with 11 seconds remaining. Nate Karren made both free throws to extend the margin to three, and Conn came up empty on its final attempt at a game-tying three.

Brandon Roughley led Williams with 14 points while Lee and Karren finished with 13 and 12, respectively.

The NESCAC Championship kicks off with quarterfinals games on Saturday, February 17 at the sites of the top-four seeds. A complete bracket with match-ups and game times will be released by the league later today.