NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season—a 73-65 victory over Westfield State University—in the consolation game of the Lafrance Hospitality Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Tripp Athletic Center.
Four Camels scored in double figures led by a game-high 17 points from Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.), who was named to the all-tournament team. Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) chipped in 13 points, three rebounds and five assists while Billy Whalen (Hamilton, Mass.) added 11 points and four boards. Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) rounded out the group with his first collegiate double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The victory was also a milestone for fourth-year head coach Tim Sweeney, who recorded the 100th win of his career.
Conn played from in front for most of the first half, leading by as many as six at multiple points. A jumper by Caelin Peters (Hamilton, Bermuda) gave the Camels a 25-19 advantage with 6:38 left in the stanza, but Westfield State made a late push and pulled in front on a bucket by Jeremy Remigio with 2:25 to go. The two sides exchanged the lead twice more before the Owls went into the intermission with a 37-34 edge.
Flynn led all scorers with nine points at the break. Peters also gave the Camels a boost off the bench, contributing seven points in nearly 13 minutes of action.
Westfield State opened the second half with a three-point play by Kobe Parker to take its biggest lead of the game at six. The Camels responded with 11 straight points to seize control for good, with four players scoring during the critical stretch. Flynn bookended the run with a layup and two free throws, and in between Whalen and David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) added layups and Schainfeld tacked on a three-point play.
Conn led by as many as 10 in the final 10 minutes and never let the margin dip below four. After the Owls crept back to within 68-64 with 2:48 to go, Flynn drove the lane for a big left-handed layup that cushioned the lead. The Camels then secured the win with three free throws in the final 1:24.
Conn led for over 32 minutes in the contest, compared to just four minutes for Westfield State. The Camels shot 47 percent from the floor and went 6-for-15 from deep, led by three triples from Whalen.
The Camels (1-1 overall) will next host SUNY Purchase on Tuesday, November 15 at 7 p.m.
