NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team opened the 2022-23 season with a 57-52 loss to UMass-Dartmouth in the opening round of the Lafrance Hospitality Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night at the Tripp Athletic Center.
Conn trailed by 10 with 2:38 remaining in the contest but used a 7-0 run in a 55-second stretch to make it a one-possession game. A UMass-Dartmouth turnover then gave the Camels a chance at the tie, but a missed three-pointer yielded free throws for the hosts that helped close out the game.
Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) paced the Camels with 14 points while
Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) added 10 points, two steals and two blocks.
Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) led the efforts on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds, one shy of his career high.
Points were at a premium in the first half as both teams shook off the preseason rust. The Corsairs built an 11-point lead with 6:33 remaining before Conn's offense kicked into gear. The Camels countered with a 10-0 run that was fueled by six points from Schainfeld and four by
Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine). UMass-Dartmouth recovered in time to hold the lead and went into the locker room at halftime up 22-18.
After falling behind by eight early in the second half, the Camels once again came storming back. A layup by Flynn sparked a 7-0 run that was capped by a three-pointer from RJ Casey (Nashville, Tenn.), pulling Conn within one at 31-30 with 13:27 left.
UMass-Dartmouth never yielded the lead and once again had an answer, countering with an 8-0 run to build the margin back to 12 with 6:11 to go. Later, a layup by Theo Jadotte put the hosts on top 50-40 with 3:18 remaining.
Conn's final push was jump started by a three from Rice at the 1:27 mark. Schainfeld then converted a pair of free throws following a UMD turnover, and
David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) added a dunk with 32 seconds left as the Camels came roaring back.
Another UMD turnover gave Conn a chance for the game-tying three, but it wouldn't go down. The Corsairs grabbed the rebound and wrapped up the win by going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final seconds.
Jackson Zancan netted 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half to lead the Corsairs (1-0 overall).
The Camels (0-1 overall) will next face Westfield State University in the tournament's consolation game on Saturday at noon.
