By Zach Perbeck

HARTFORD, Conn. - The Connecticut College men's basketball team narrowly edged out Trinity on Saturday afternoon by a score of 65-62.
 
Despite finding themselves in an early 13-point deficit, the Camels were able to come back and find themselves down by just two points at halftime. Sophomore Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) started the comeback for the camels with a three-pointer just under 10 minutes into the game in what would end up being three of his team-high 21 points for the game. The three by Whelan would start a 10-2 run for the Camels and bring them back into the game. A last second made jump shot by sophomore Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) brought the Camels within two points of their opponent at halftime.
 
Another strong scoring run gave the Camels the lead with just over five minutes remaining, courtesy of another crucial three pointer from Whelan. Connecticut College maintained the lead as both teams traded baskets for the next three minutes with no ground being made by the Bantams. With a five-point lead and just over two minutes left, the Camels were forced to win the free throw battle to keep the lead. The team answered the call and ended the game converting on 19 of their 20 second-half attempts from the line, led by Whelan, who connected on all eight of his free throws in the final minute of the game to allow the Camels to come away with the victory and their first NESCAC one on the road since downing Bates by a 15-point margin on Jan. 20th, 2017.
 
Whelan paced the Camels with 21 points to go with four assists while freshman Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) added 14 points, five assists, and six rebounds in the winning effort. For Trinity, Donald Jorden Jr. led the Bantams with a game-high 27 points and 14 rebounds to complete the double-double. Charles Redd added 11 points in the loss for Trinity.
 
Despite the victory, the Bantams led the Camels in shooting percentage, converting on 35.4% of their attempts compared to 33.3% for Connecticut College. The Camels did shoot better from beyond the arc than Trinity, connecting on 23.8% of their shots from deep compared to just 16.7% for the Bantams. The Camels also outperformed their opponent from the free throw line, shooting at an 80% clip compared to 70.6% for the Bantams.
 
Trinity (9-5, NESCAC 1-2) outrebounded Connecticut College by a total of 53-35 and led the Camels in assists by a tally of 20-16 as well. The Bantams did turn the ball over at a much higher rate, coughing the ball up 15 times compared to eight for the Camels. 
 
Connecticut College (7-6, NESCAC 2-2) will next travel to New Haven, Connecticut on Monday, January 24th to take on Albertus Magnus at 7:00 p.m. in a non-conference matchup.