WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Following a 10-day layoff for the holidays, the Connecticut College men's basketball team opened the USJ Holiday Tournament with an 80-64 victory over Western Connecticut State University on Sunday afternoon at Calhoun Gymnasium.
The Camels shot 14-for-33 from three-point range and never trailed in the second half.
Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) netted a game-high 21 points and contributed five treys.
Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) and
Garrett Clar (Victor, N.Y.) knocked down four threes apiece to finish with 18 and 16 points, respectively, while
Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) added 10 points off the bench.
Both teams needed time to knock off the rust early. Espinosa kept the Camels in the game with eight points in the opening 4:47, including a turnaround jumper that yielded a 10-8 advantage.
Conn nursed the lead until a bucket by Keeshawn Jones put the Wolves up 21-20 with 7:20 left in the half. However, the Camels fired right back, outscoring WestConn 19-4 in the final 7:01 of the stanza. Clar played a major role in the spurt, scoring or assisting on five of Conn's seven field goals during the run. Watson also chipped in a pair of threes, and
Alden Doran (Belgrade, Maine) supplied five points and a block in a three-minute stretch that put the Camels ahead 37-25 at the break.
Espinosa and Watson each scored 10 points in the half to pace Conn. WestConn, which shot just 31 percent, was led by seven points from Cameron Gallon.
The Camels opened the second half with a barrage of threes to quickly extend the lead. Clar kicked off a 12-4 run with a three from the wing, and Espinosa drained triples on the next three trips down the floor to build the margin to 51-29.
WestConn responded with eight straight points but never fully got back into the game. After the Wolves cut the margin to 11 at 54-43 with 12:14 to go, Clar hit dagger threes on back-to-back possessions—both of which came off offensive rebounds—to keep the Camels comfortably in front.
In addition to his 21 points, Espinosa filled out the box score with six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Watson grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while
Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) handed out a season-high nine assists and finished one point shy of a double-double.
Gallon finished with 18 points to lead WestConn (6-5 overall).
Conn (6-5 overall) will next play Farmingdale State College in the title game of the USJ Holiday Tournament on Monday, December 30 at 3:00 p.m. The Rams earned their spot in the final with a 73-66 win over the host Blue Jays earlier in the day.
