NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team came up just short in a pivotal NESCAC matchup, falling to Hamilton by a 61-55 score on Friday evening at the Charles B. Luce Field House.

Connecticut College scored the first five points and burst out to a 9-2 advantage by getting back-to-back layups from senior Dana Muckstadt (Dover, Mass.). But after the Camels built up a 13-5 lead, the Continentals started to come back and made it a one-possession game on a layup by Mackenzie Aldridge. Senior Sami Ashton (Clinton, Conn.) made a free throw in the waning seconds at the other end, and the hosts held a slim 14-10 lead after one quarter of play.

Junior Casey Walsh (Phoenixville, Pa.) opened the scoring in the second quarter by putting back a missed 3-pointer. However, Hamilton continued to chip away and eventually took their first lead when Carly O'Hern sank a jump shot at 5:17 and went up 24-20 on a trey converted by the senior on the team's next possession. Even though Walsh tied the game up at 24s by finishing a pass from senior Ashley Howe (Saco, Maine), the Continentals got to the line down the stretch and took a narrow 27-26 lead into recess.

Sophomore Claire Gulbin (Wilton, Conn.) opened the scoring in the second half by drilling a 3-pointer off a feed from Ashton, and a seesaw battle ensued through much of the frame. The teams traded the lead three times until a trifecta from Zarle gave the Continentals the lead at 39-37 and helped spark a 13-2 run to close out the frame. Marie Steiner dialed up from long distance in the final seconds to give the visitors a 47-39 advantage through 30 minutes of action.

Hamilton tried to pull away in the fourth and led by nine when Lansing converted a layup to make it 51-42 with 7:17 remaining, but the Camels came storming back. The hosts scored seven straight points, which was capped by a Gulbin trifecta, to close within two and prompt a Continental timeout. The Camels kept it close down the stretch and came within two again when Ashton hit a running jumper to create a 56-54 score with 43.2 seconds left. However, Zarle bolted down the left side and finished an unassisted layup at the other end to put the visitors back ahead by four with 17.6 seconds remaining which would prove to be the dagger. The Continentals ended the game by sinking three throws to escape with their fifth conference win of the season.

Zarle scored a team-leading 12 points to pace Hamilton (15-8, NESCAC 5-4) in the win. She also had four rebounds and two steals. Scout Lansing and Liz Arnold netted nine points apiece, while O'Hern had a solid game with seven points and eight boards.

Gulbin led Connecticut College with 20 points. Ashton, who was recognized prior to the contest for scoring her 1,000th career point this past Saturday against top-ranked Tufts, contributed 13 points. Muckstadt came just shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds to go along with two blocked shots.

Connecticut College (7-16, NESCAC 2-7) will look to conclude its 2019-20 campaign on a high note when it hosts No. 5 Amherst tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. The Camels will also recognize six seniors for their contributions to the program prior to the contest.