By Adam Sherf '23

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team rang in the New Year in historic fashion. Led by freshman forward Andrew Hartel's (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) 17 points and seven rebounds, the Camels notched their first NESCAC win in nearly five years, defeating Colby College by a 69-63 score on Friday evening.
 
The victory was no easy feat. Colby (7-5, NESCAC 0-1) sought to set the tone early, and on the back of Noah Tyson's three consecutive 3-pointers, opened up a commanding 22-7 lead midway through the first half. Staring at an early 15-point deficit, the Camels' resilience was put to the test.
 
After tying together a series of stops on the defensive end, a Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 Camels run highlighted by consecutive scores from freshman guard Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.).
 
The Camels' resilience was once again tested as they took an 11-point deficit into the break. Following a series of stops and scores, a Hartel dunk capped off a 16-3 run that gave the Camels their first lead of the night at 34-33 with 15:21 remaining.
 
After another Matt Hanna 3-pointer put the Mules back in the driver's seat, the Camels rallied for a 13-0 run in which Kevin Baxter (Branford, Mass.) made his debut felt. His back-to-back 3-point field goals gave the Camels a 47-36 lead from which they never looked back.
 
Schainfeld and sophomore guard Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) joined Hartel in double-digit scoring with 11 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Sophomores Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) and Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) each added eight points, the latter of the two also hauling in seven rebounds.
 
Kyle Butler, Hanna and Tyson all contributed double-digit scoring efforts in the Mules' loss.
 
Connecticut College (6-4, NESCAC 1-0) will look to continue their NESCAC success when they are next scheduled to play host to Bowdoin College on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.