Men's basketball set to host playoff

WATERVILLE, Maine --- The first full season of games on the new basketball court at Wadsworth Gymnasium has been a success for the Colby College men’s basketball team. The Mules are hoping that trend continues for one more game.

The fourth-seeded Colby men entertain fifth-seeded Bowdoin College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championships quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. Saturday. The game can be followed on Gametracker at http://www.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mbaskbl.html?event=768213&school=colb&sport=mbaskbl&camefrom=&startschool=& or on WMHB at http://www.colby.edu/campus_cs/clubs/wmhb/

Tickets will be sold on Saturday at 2 p.m. and prices are $3 for adults and $1 for students, with children under 12 admitted free.

Colby is 17-7 overall and finished the NESCAC regular season at 6-3, while Bowdoin has a 16-8 record and was at 5-4 in the league. The difference between the teams in the conference was the Mules’ 65-55 win over the Polar Bears on January 17, a victory that gave Colby head coach Dick Whitmore his 600th career win in 38 years. Bowdoin also took a memorable win over the Mules this season, a season-opening 67-60 win in Brunswick.

The two teams have one thing in common -- both play well on their home courts. The Mules are 11-2 here at Wadsworth Gymnasium and Bowdoin was 10-1 on its home floor. The Polar Bears have a 5-7 away record.

Colby’s Adam Choice, named the Maine State Player of the Week for the third time this season on Wednesday, leads the Mules in scoring at 16 points per game. Choice shoots nearly 50 percent from the field and shoots 82 percent from the foul line. Choice, just a junior, has 1,068 points and 482 rebounds in his career at Colby.

Michael Russell is second in scoring for the Mules at 13 points per game and leads the team in rebounding (8.2) and field goal percentage (.542). Senior point guard Artie Cutrone is at 12.7 points a contest and leads the way in assists with 92. Justin Sherman averages 9.3 points, while Gil Haylon is first in made 3-point field goals (32).

After starting the season at 3-3, Colby has run off a 14-4 record and has had winning streaks of five, four, and the current three.

Bowdoin is first in the NESCAC in rebounding (plus 6.4) and first in scoring defense (57.6). The Mules are second in field goal percentage (.468) and the Polar Bears are fourth at .458.

Bowdoin’s Mark Phillips averages 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Kyle Jackson is at 11.1 points a game and 5.4 rebounds, while Tim Lane is at 9.4 points and also averages 5.4 boards a contest. Will Hanley averages 8.0 points and about four rebounds per game in 18 minutes of play a contest.

Phillips leads the Polar Bears in field goal percentage (.604), while Jackson leads the way in made 3-point field goal attempts (42). Mike Hauser has 106 assists and Jackson has 75.

2009 Men’s Basketball Championship Seeding

Quarterfinals – Saturday, February 21 at higher seeds

No. 8 Connecticut College at No. 1 Middlebury – 3:00 p.m.

No. 7 Trinity at No. 2 Amherst – 2:00 p.m.

No. 6 Bates at No. 3 Williams – 3:00 p.m.

No. 5 Bowdoin at No. 4 Colby – 3:00 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, February 28 at highest remaining seed (2:00 p.m./4:00 p.m.)

Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed

Remaining quarterfinal winners

Championship – Sunday, March 1 at 12:00 p.m.

Semifinal winners