NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's basketball team overcame a five-point halftime deficit to post a 91-79 victory over SUNY New Paltz in its home opener on Tuesday night at Luce Field House.

Conn shot 61 percent in the second half and outscored the Hawks 52-35 over the final 20 minutes, all to the delight of the home crowd. Greg Cantwell (Glen Head, N.Y.) led four Camels in double digits with 15 points and also grabbed five rebounds. James LaFrance (Guilford, Conn.) and Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) tacked on 13 points apiece while Cole Craffey (Easton, Mass.) chipped in 12. 

Mo Sylla netted a game-high 27 points to lead New Paltz, which dropped to 1-2 overall on the season.

The opening half featured eight ties and nine lead changes as both sides jockeyed for the advantage. A three by Espinosa gave Conn its biggest lead of the period at 26-21 with 9:16 remaining. The Hawks erased the deficit with a 6-0 spurt, and later ended the half on a 9-4 run to lead 44-39 at the break. 

Justin Noelizaire supplied the Hawks with five points in the final 3:10 and led all scorers with 11 at intermission. Espinosa paced the Camels with 10 points in the half. 

Conn came out focused at the start of the second half and evened the score behind a layup by Cantwell and two buckets from Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.). The game remained tight over the next five minutes of game time, as James LaFrance (Guilford, Conn.) drilled a pair of threes but was matched on the opposite end by Sylla.

The Camels broke the game open with a 10-0 run that yielded a 67-59 lead with 9:39 to play. Craffey got things started with a pair of drives to the hole, and LaFrance and Watson followed with triples to bring the crowd alive.

Conn held the lead for the rest of the night, although New Paltz whittled the deficit to four following a Sylla three with 3:38 remaining. The Camels responded with seven straight points—Espinosa contributed a three-point play and also assisted a bucket by Robert Blandburg (Kilgore, Texas)—to build the margin to double digits.

Espinosa finished with a team-high eight rebounds, three assists and two steals to go with his 13 points. Cantwell, Craffey and Watson also pulled down five boards apiece as the Camels owned the glass by a 37-30 count. 

Conn (2-0 overall) will next host Brandeis University on Saturday, November 22 at 3:00 p.m.