LEWISTON, Maine -- Colby College took the lead with 1:59
left in overtime and escaped with a 73-66 victory over Bates College in a
NESCAC men's basketball game on Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium, giving the Mules
their second overtime win against the Bobcats this season.
The win puts Colby at 12-2 overall and 3-0 in NESCAC play. Bates drops to 7-10,
0-4. The Mules had taken a 66-61 non-conference overtime win earlier this year
at Wadsworth Gymnasium over the Bobcats.
A rebound and fast-break assist by Adam Choice resulted in a layup by Mike
Russell with 1:59 remaining in overtime to put Colby on top 65-64. A free throw
by Bates' Nick Schmiemann evened the game for the ninth time at 65 with 1:37
left, but Colby's Christian Van Loenen followed his own miss with a put-back and
was fouled for a three-point play that put the Mules in the lead to stay with
59 seconds left. Russell hit a pair of free throws, Justin Sherman added
another, and Choice finished off the scoring with a steal and a breakaway dunk
as time expired.
Bates never trailed in the game until 46 seconds remained in regulation, when
Choice, who had just scored on consecutive possessions, wheeled into the lane
for a layup and a 55-53 Colby lead. After a missed layup by Bates' Brian Ellis,
the Bobcats were forced to foul, and Van Loenen hit four free throws in a row
for a 59-53 Colby lead with 16 seconds left.
Enter Bates senior Marshall Hatch, a 3-point specialist. Hatch buried one from
far out on the right wing with 12 seconds left to close the gap to 59-56. Hatch
then stole Colby's inbound pass, giving the Bobcats the ball back as the clock
dropped under 10 seconds. From deep in the left corner, Hatch jab-stepped and
let fly with another 3-point attempt that tied the game at 59 with six seconds
left. Colby's last possession in regulation produced a missed 3-point shot.
While Bates never trailed for the game's first 39-plus minutes, Colby tied the
game up seven times in regulation and never trailed by more than six points
throughout the second half. A steal and layup by Ellis with 7:25 to go put
Bates on top 46-40, and a three-point play by Ellis a minute later again pushed
the Bates lead to six again for the final time with 6:30 left.
Colby's Gil Haylon responded with a three at the 6:17 mark, then a minute later
he was fouled on a 3-point attempt and drained all three free throws to tie up
the game at 49 with 5:32 left. Alex Gallant followed his own miss with a
put-back for a 53-51 Bates lead with 3:23 remaining, but Choice's consecutive
hoops gave Colby the lead back at 55-53 with under a minute to play.
Mike Russell led Colby with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Haylon added 15
and Choice contributed 12 points and five assists. Russell had his ninth
double-double of the season in 14 games. Van Loenen finished with seven points,
eight rebounds, and four assists.
Colby has a non-league game at Maine Maritime on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
COLBY COLLEGE 73, BATES COLLEGE 66
COLBY COLLEGE (12-2, 3-0 NESCAC)
Mike Russell 9-14 3-6 22; Gil Haylon 4-8 3-3 15; Adam Choice 5-15 2-2 12;
Chas Woodward 4-8 0-0 8; Christian Van Loenen 1-5 5-5 7; Justin Sherman 2-8
1-2 5; Eric Beaulieu 2-3 0-0 4; Noah Atlas 0-0 0-0 0; Alex Swanson 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 27-61 14-18 73.
BATES COLLEGE (7-10, 0-4 NESCAC)
Nick Schmiemann 6-13 3-5 19; Brian Ellis 5-11 3-3 13; Marshall Hatch 3-10
0-0 9; Thomas Deegan 3-7 0-0 7; Ryan Weston 3-3 0-0 6; Mark Brust 2-7 2-2 6;
Alex Gallant 2-5 1-2 5; Jimmy O'Keefe 0-0 1-2 1; John Squires 0-3 0-0 0;
Kyle Philbrook 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 10-14 66.
Colby College................. 27 32
14 - 73
Bates College................. 32 27
7 - 66
3-point goals--Colby College 5-15 (Gil Haylon 4-8; Mike Russell 1-2; Justin
Sherman 0-2; Adam Choice 0-3), Bates College 8-20 (Nick Schmiemann 4-9;
Marshall Hatch 3-7; Thomas Deegan 1-2; Kyle Philbrook 0-1; Brian Ellis 0-1).
Fouled out--Colby College-Mike Russell, Bates College-Thomas Deegan.
Rebounds--Colby College 39 (Mike Russell 10), Bates College 35 (John Squires
7). Assists--Colby College 17 (Adam Choice 5; Justin Sherman 5), Bates
College 16 (Thomas Deegan 3; Mark Brust 3). Total fouls--Colby College 17,
Bates College 21. Technical fouls--Colby College-None, Bates College-None.
A-740
