CLINTON, N.Y. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team suffered an 81-69 setback against Hamilton College on Friday night in NESCAC action at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

Four Camels scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough on a night where the Continentals posted their second-highest point total of the season. Hamilton's starting five combined for 65 points, led by a game-high 16 points from Taylor Lambo.

Hayle Thompson (Maynard, Mass.) paced the Camels with 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting and added five rebounds and five blocks. Avery Burns (Orleans, Mass.) and Mia Xerras (Charlotte, N.C.) contributed 11 points apiece and combined for eight assists, and Catie Donadio (Clinton, Conn.) added 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

Hamilton led for most of the opening quarter until a three by Burns pushed the Camels in front at 15-13. Donadio followed with a jumper in the paint to extend the lead to four, and Conn carried a 17-15 lead into the second period.

The Camels' biggest lead of the night came midway through the second quarter. After Thompson supplied a three-point play to make it a five-point game, Donadio tacked on a layup to put Conn on top 24-17 with 5:56 left in the half.

Hamilton responded with a 14-0 run over the next 3:23, with Tessa Cole leading the charge with five points. A layup by Sam Glickman capped the stretch and gave the hosts a 31-24 advantage with 2:33 left in the stanza. 

Xerras snapped the streak with a jumper and Burns followed with a three-pointer, but Cole tacked on a pair of treys in the final 1:11 of the half to give the Continentals a 39-33 lead at the break. Cole led all scorers with 11 points at intermission while Burns tallied nine.

Hamilton didn't yield the lead in the second half, extending the margin to as many as 11 in the third quarter. The Camels closed the gap to four in the final minute of the period but trailed 56-50 heading into the fourth.

Donadio buried a jumper to open the fourth-quarter scoring, but that would be as close as the Camels would get. Hamilton (14-7 overall, 3-4 NESCAC) extended the margin to double digits with 5:20 left to play in the contest, and in the closing minutes the Continentals bumped the cushion to as many as 15.

Conn (10-12 overall, 0-8 NESCAC) will next play at Amherst College on Saturday, February 8 at 3:00 p.m.