MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team came away with a 74-55 victory over Middlebury College on Friday night in NESCAC action at Pepin Gymnasium.

The Camels picked up their third-straight win in the series—and second-straight on the road—thanks to a big night from Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.), who finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four steals. Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) posted his second consecutive double-double with a season-high 18 points and 10 boards, and Garrett Clar (Victor, N.Y.) contributed 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Conn jumped on Middlebury from the start, racing out to a 17-4 advantage in the opening 6:19. The first nine points of the game came on consecutive three-pointers by Alden Doran (Belgrade, Maine), Espinosa and Clar, and Hartel later added three buckets in the paint to help fuel the run.

The Panthers quickly recovered, clawing back to within one with 6:16 remaining in the half. However, the Camels never yielded the lead, and Espinosa tallied six of Conn's final 11 points of the stanza for a 32-27 lead at the break.

The Camels pulled away early in the second half, using a 20-2 spurt to build a 56-34 edge with 8:54 to play. Espinosa drilled a pair of threes during the stretch while Hartel and Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) chipped in four points apiece.

Conn shot 48 percent from the floor and went 7-for-24 from deep. Espinosa finished 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, his fifth game of the season with at least four threes.  

Conn (10-7 overall, 2-1 NESCAC) will play at Williams College on Saturday, January 18 at 3:00 p.m.