CLINTON, N.Y. – Seventh-seeded Connecticut College nearly pulled off the upset, but second-seeded Hamilton College rallied late to post a 64-59 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday afternoon at Scott Field House. 

The Continentals (17-8 overall) closed the game with a 15-3 run over the final 3:22 to pull out the win. Eric Anderson scored six of his team-high 21 points during the stretch to guide Hamilton to the semifinals for the first time since 2019.

David Murray (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) turned in a monster effort for the Camels (14-11 overall), finishing with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting. In 34 minutes of action he also added eight rebounds, six blocks, two steals and an assist. Elias Espinosa (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) tacked on 14 points while Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) chipped in eight.

Neither team led by more than four in the opening half as Murray had the hot hand and kept the Camels in the mix. The big man shot 6-for-10 from the floor en route to 16 points, and he also grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots. 

The biggest shot of the half, however, didn't come until the final seconds. After Hamilton came up empty on three chances around the basket, the ball was awarded to Conn with two seconds left on the clock. Ryan Banks (Bracknell, England) inbounded the ball to Billy Whelan (Hamilton, Mass.), who launched a three-quarter court shot that drew nothing but net. The shot—Whelan's first of the game—gave the Camels a 30-27 lead at the break.

Murray continued to be a force in the early stages of the second half. He scored six of Conn's first eight points of the stanza, including an incredible sequence in which he blocked a shot on the defensive end, collected the rebound, dribbled to the basket and dropped in a finger roll for a 38-32 advantage with 16:24 left.

After Hamilton responded with a 7-0 run to retake the lead, Murray fed a cutting Flynn for a go-ahead layup. On Conn's next possession, Espinosa drilled a pull-up three to extend the lead to 43-39.

Back-to-back threes from Whelan and Banks kicked off an 11-3 stretch that put the Camels in front 56-49 with 4:03 to go. Espinosa punctuated the run with a breakaway slam off a feed from Whelan, giving Conn its largest lead of the contest.

The Camels had a chance to extend the margin after Flynn provided a steal, but a contested three by Espinosa was off the mark. Hamilton then scored on three straight possessions and tied the game at 56-56 on a three by Teja Singh with 1:57 remaining.

An offensive rebound and put back by Anderson put the Continentals in front for good with 43 seconds to go. Hamilton looked to close out the game from the free throw line, but the Camels ended up with a couple of late chances to tie. In the final seconds, Ben Rice (Hanson, Mass.) intentionally missed a free throw with Conn down by three, but Anderson secured the rebound to sew up the win for Hamilton.

For the Camels, the game marked the program's eighth appearance in the NESCAC Championship and the second under head coach Tim Sweeney. Conn also made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 2008 and 2009.