KEENE, N.H. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team dropped a 69-64 decision to No. 12 Keene State College on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference tilt at Spaulding Gym.
Cam Schainfeld (Newton, Mass.) led three Camels in double figures with 22 points and also finished with four rebounds and four assists.
Garrett Clar (Victor, N.Y.) chipped in 13 points and four steals while
Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The first 15 minutes of the game were closely contested, with neither team leading by more than three as the lead changed hands 14 times. The Owls took a 28-27 lead on a three-pointer by Octavio Brito, which sparked a 13-4 run over the final 5:34 of the half. Keene State led by as many as nine during the stretch, but a three-point play by Schainfeld brought the Camels to within 38-31 at intermission.
In the second half, Conn scored seven straight points out of the break to quickly pull even. Schainfeld got things started with a lay-up and a tip-in to cut the deficit to three, and then Espinosa splashed a triple to knot the score at 38-38.
After a tip-in by Espinosa tied the game at 45-45 at the 10-minute mark,
RJ Casey (Nashville, Tenn.) buried a jumper on the ensuing possession to give Conn its first lead of the half. The margin didn't last for long as the Owls responded with an 8-0 spurt that included six points from Brito to grab the lead for good.
Keene State took its biggest lead of the day at 60-49 with 3:07 to go on another bucket by Brito, who finished with a game-high 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting. A three-pointer by Clar and five points from Schainfeld trimmed the deficit back to five with 1:52 remaining, but Brito supplied seven points in the final 90 seconds to secure the victory.
Conn (7-6 overall) will wrap up the non-conference slate at home against Emerson College on Tuesday, January 7 at 3:00 p.m.