CLINTON, N.Y. – In a competitive matchup which featured seven ties and eight lead changes, the Connecticut College men's basketball team lost to Hamilton by an 88-80 decision on Friday evening.

Trailing 37-33 through 20 minutes of action, the Continentals exploded to score 55 points in the second half to complete a rally. The hosts scored the first five points of the ladder frame to regain the lead, and neither side led by more than five for the next seven-plus minutes. Elliott Tirbaso put together an old-fashioned 3-point play to make it 47-46 at the 14:51 mark, and Hamilton never trailed the rest of the way despite being challenged by the visitors. Vince Conn extended the margin to twin figures at 61-50 by hitting a 3-pointer shortly before the midway point, and the Camels never came closer than seven points.

Hamilton (15-8, NESCAC 3-6) earned seven-point advantages of 23-16 and 25-18 in the first half. The hosts still had a 28-23 edge with 5:35 left, but Connecticut College got hot and went on a 12-3 run to take a 35-31 lead with 1:43 on the clock. Junior Dan Draffan (Hamden, Conn.) spearheaded the offense with nine points in the timeframe, as the Camels went into the break with a four-point advantage.

Sayo Denloye led Hamilton with a career-high 18 points and also added three steals. Mark Lutz finished with 16 points, and Eric Anderson contributed six rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots.

Freshman Ben McPherron (Weston, Mass.) ended the evening with a game-high 27 points by most notably hitting five shots from long range to pace Connecticut College. Draffan notched 21 points, and junior Jack Zimmerman (Bedford, N.H.) finished with 11 points and four assists. Junior Jeff Allen (Madison, Conn.) tallied 10 points, eight boards, and four helpers.

Connecticut College (4-19, NESCAC 0-9) concludes its 2019-20 campaign when it visits Amherst tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m.