With the win, the Mules improve to 12-9 overall, while the Huskies fall to 4-16 on the season.  The game was the final non-conference game of the season for both teams. ]

            In a close battle with the Huskies, leading 56-52 with 9:08 to play following a jumper from USM junior Ben Jackson (Houston, Texas/Bellaire), the Mules put together a game-deciding 14-3 run over a four-minute span to pull away for the win. 

            Clinging to a 35-33 lead at the break, the Mules opened the second half with five quick points on a layup from junior Luke Westman (Newton, Mass./Newton North) and a three from senior Connor O'Neil (Freeport, Maine/Cheverus), snagging a 40-33 lead just 120 seconds in.  However, Southern Maine countered with a 7-0 run to knot the score up at 40 on layups from sophomores Fred Knight (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) and Zack Leal (York, Maine) and a three from junior Sean Caddigan (Bethel, Maine/Telstar).  Leal's offensive rebound and the put-back with 16:50 remaining capped the Huskies' run and settled the game into a back-and-forth battle.

            The Huskies hung around with the Mules and tied the game twice in the second half but was never able to surge past Colby.  With the game in the balance after Jackson's layup to make it 56-52 game, the Mules got timely three-pointers from Wilson and O'Neil as part of a 11-0 spurt that saw Colby go ahead 67-52 with 6:43 to play.  Wilson canned a pair of threes as part of the run.

            Scoreless since the 9:08 mark, Huskies' freshman Isaiah Stone-Patterson (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) broke the drought with a three pointer to make it 67-55 at the 5:27 mark, but Colby junior Ryan Jann (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) answered right back with a three of his own to maintain the 15-point advantage at 70-55.

            Stone-Patterson made it a 12-point deficit with a three and a layup in consecutive possessions for USM with just under two minutes to play, but it was too late as the Mules closed out the game.

            Leal finished the game with a team-high 16 points for Southern Maine.  Leal was 7-for-11 from the field adding seven rebounds and three assists.  Knight had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while junior Jacob Littlefield (Mechanic Falls, Maine/Poland Regional) added 10 points.  Stone-Patterson matched his career-high with eight points.

            Southern Maine travels to UMass Dartmouth on Saturday (3:00 p.m.).  Colby travels hosts Middlebury on Friday (7:00 p.m.). 

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