Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore Jauch Green (Hartford, Conn./Cromwell) scored six of his 19 points in the overtime period, including a pair of free throws to give his team the lead with 39 seconds remaining, to help the Western Connecticut State University Colonials to a 102-98 overtime win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Fifield Court.
With the win, Western Connecticut improves to 6-2 overall and 1-1 in the Little East. Southern Maine falls to 4-5 with the loss and 0-2 in the Little East. It is the second overtime game of the season for USM.
Green was one of five Colonials players to reach double-digits. Green was 6-for-14 from the field for 19 points, adding nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore Aaron Samuel (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) led WCSU with 21 points off of the bench, earning a double-double with 11 rebounds. Senior Tre'Von Perry (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) had a 20-point, 18-rebounds double-double, while sophomore Rashard Rodriguez (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) and junior Bobby Bynum (New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse) had 19 points and 10 points respectively.
Junior Christian McCue (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) led USM with a career-high 28 points, canning six three-pointers, while adding four assists and three steals. Senior James Starks III (Miami, Fla./Miami Killian Senior) notched his seventh double-double of the season with 26 points and 17 rebounds. Senior Zach Leal (York, Maine) added 20 points and seven rebounds.
In a back-and-forth contest, Southern Maine made the first surge to grab a modest 51-44 lead at the break. With the game tied at 43 all with 1:54 to play in the opening half, USM used a 7-1 run led by five points from Leal. The Huskies opened the second half on a 10-6 spurt to grab a 10-point, 61-51 advantage, with 16:35 remaining in the game, but WCSU answered back with a 10-0 run over the next three and a half minutes to tie the score at 61-61 with 13:05 to play. Perry had six points in the run for the Colonials.
Both teams continued to battle the remainder of the second half with neither team grabbing more than a two-possession lead. Southern Maine led 87-83 with 2:51 remaining on a three from Starks, before back-to-back buckets in the paint from Perry and Green force the 12th even score of the game 87-87 with 1:43 to play. USM retook the lead on a pair of free throws from Leal with just over a minute to go, but Perry hit a game-tying layup with 36 seconds to go forcing overtime. After Perry's layup both teams had a shot for a go-ahead basket but neither could convert.
In overtime, Perry scored on the Colonials first two possessions to stake WCSU a 93-89 lead, but USM came back to tie the score, again, 96-96, on a 7-3 run with 1:17 to play. Senior Jacob Littlefield (Mechanic Falls, Maine/Poland Regional) connected on two free throws in the run to tie the score. The Colonials were able to close out the game, however, outscoring USM 6-2 in the final minute as Green was 4-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Southern Maine is off for finals week and will return to action versus Endicott at the Salem State Holiday Classic on Thursday, December 29 (5:00 p.m.). Western Connecticut travels to Worcester State on Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).
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