EWING TOWNSHIP, N.J. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team opened the 2024-25 season with a 73-50 win over Albright College in the Greg Grant Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night at TCNJ's Packer Hall.

Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) and Tom Harrison (Christchurch, New Zealand) paved the way for the Camels with 15 points apiece. Quron Zene Jr. (Windsor, Conn.) chipped in 12 points in his Conn debut, and Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) finished with 10 points and four assists to round out the double-digit scorers. 

The Camels shot 12-for-30 from long range, led by a 5-for-6 effort from Harrison. The 15 points were also a career high for the sophomore.

After a slow start by both teams, Conn pulled ahead for good on a three by Espinosa with 13:05 left in the opening half. The Camels caught fire later in the stanza, ripping off a 17-1 run over a four-minute stretch to take a 34-14 lead with 4:40 to go. Schainfeld keyed the spurt with 10 points on four buckets and a free throw, and Conn rolled into the break with a 39-22 advantage.

The Camels padded the lead to as many as 32 in the second half, as Harrison drilled four threes after the intermission to help build the margin. The big lead afforded head coach Tim Sweeney the opportunity to utilize his deep bench, mixing up the lineup late to get 16 players into the box score.

Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. Garrett Clar (Victor, N.Y.) played 23 minutes in his collegiate debut and finished with five boards, four assists, three steals and a block.

Phanique Dupree led Albright with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Lions shot just 34 percent from the floor and went 2-for-22 from deep.

Conn (1-0 overall) will face host TCNJ in the title game of the Greg Grant Tip-Off on Saturday, November 16 at 5:00 p.m.