ATLANTA – The Connecticut College men's basketball team needed overtime to produce a 69-67 victory over Piedmont University on Friday afternoon at the Emory Holiday Classic. 

Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.) netted a game- and season-high 20 points to lead the Camels, who improved to 9-4 on the season. Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) added 12 points—six of which came in bonus time—while David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.  

Whelan fueled Conn's long-range attack with six three-pointers. The Camels shot 11-for-32 from deep and also got three treys from Elias Espinosa (Ridgefield, N.J.) and two from Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.).

Neither side led by more than five points in a tight first half. The Lions pulled in front with a minute left in the stanza and took a 28-25 advantage into the locker room at the break.

Early in the second half, the Camels trailed by five when a three ball by Whelan sparked a 13-0 run. Whelan made two threes during the stretch while Schainfeld tacked on another, and a bucket in the paint by Murray capped the spurt and put Conn up 47-39 with 11:00 remaining.

Piedmont chipped away at the deficit for the remainder of regulation. After the Lions trimmed the margin to three, Schainfeld drained a deep triple from straight on that bumped Conn's lead to 57-51 with 3:15 left.

Minutes later, three-pointers by Ryan Jolly and Noah Reardon closed the gap for the Lions, tying the game at 58-58. Conn had a chance for the win in regulation, but a jumper by Schainfeld was off the mark. Piedmont didn't get a final shot as Whelan dove on a loose ball before the buzzer sounded.  

Conn scored seven of the first nine points in overtime to take control, aided by four free throws from Hartel and a three by Espinosa. With a minute to go and the Camels nursing a three-point lead, Hartel followed up his own miss for a big hoop in the paint. 

After the two sides traded free throws, Piedmont cut the deficit to two on a three-point play by Jolly with nine seconds remaining. The Camels then failed to convert the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Lions a final crack to either tie or win the game. Orry Clements-Owens attempted a contested three at the horn that clanged off the side of the rim, and Conn escaped with a hard-fought victory. 

Espinosa finished with nine points and eight rebounds while Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) added eight points and nine boards. Schainfeld tallied eight points and a game-high five assists. Jolly paced the Lions (5-6 overall) with 17 points.

Conn College will next open NESCAC play against Tufts University on Friday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m.