GORHAM, Maine –  Alec McGovern scored 14 points to lead four players in double-figures as the Colby College Mules used a 19-5 run in the final 6:30 of the second half to break open a two-possession game and earn an 86-68 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a men's basketball game Friday night at Hill Gymnasium.
            With the win, Colby improves to 2-0 on the season. The Huskies conclude their 2021 season with a record of 2-4.  Colby defeated the Huskies on their home court earlier this month. 
            McGovern was 6-for-13 from the field for his team-high 14 points, adding four rebounds.  Henry Westrich and David Basich each scored 13 points off of the bench for the Mules, while Jonah Obi had 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, adding two assists and a pair of blocked shots. Ten of the 11 Mules to see action in the game scored points.. 
            Huskies junior Jacobe Thomas (Houston, Texas/Davis) and freshman Trevor Ward (West Park, Fla./McAuthor) tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 points each.  Thomas was 8-for-17 from the field with eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot, while Ward was 8-for-19 adding nine boards.  Sophomore Marcus Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) added 17 points and nine rebounds as the only other USM player in double digits.  Freshman Chance Dixon (Lake Worth, Fla./Santaluces) had seven points off of the bench.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Colby scored the first six points of the game and did relinquish its lead the rest of the way.  The Huskies trailed the Mules by two possessions, 15-10, with 13:28 left in the half after a layup from Thomas, but the Colby outscored USM 21-6 over the next five minutes to blow the game open and lead 36-16 with 8:19 on the clock.
• Led by Basich's seven points, five different Mules scored in the 21-6 run, which was highlighted by three-pointers from Westrich, Basich, Kyle Butler. 
• USM kept pace with the Mules in the final eight minutes of the half, outscoring Colby 14-12, but the Mules led comfortably 48-30 at the break.
• Colby led by 17, 57-40, following an offensive rebound from Obi and a layup from McGovern five minutes into the second half, before the Huskies stormed back to within six, 58-52, with 11:05 to go on the heels of a 10-1 run.
• The contest remained a two-possession game, and the Huskies trailed by five, 68-63, following a three from Ward with 6:02 on the clock, but the Mules responded with seven unanswered points including a three in transition from Wallace Tucker.
• USM freshman Najee McQueen (Yarmouth, Maine) stopped the Colby run with a layup, but Colby again scored seven unanswered points to lead 82-65 with 2:14 to go, closing the door on the game. 
• Westrich scored eight of the Mules final 18 points.

 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• Colby shot a red-hot 55.0 percent (19-for-34) from the field in the first half, including a 7-for-15 effort from three.  Conversely, Southern Maine shot just 14-of-40 (35 percent) in the first half and did not make a three-pointer.
• Both teams scored 38 points in the second half.
• The Huskies and Mules combined for just 14 turnovers in the game.

NOTES

• Senior Keenan Hendricks concludes his career with 77 career games, 341 points, 96 assists, 117 rebounds, 31 steals and two blocked shots.  The Huskies' guard knocked down 72 three-pointers in his career and matched his career-highs in points and rebounds during the 2021 season, scoring 17 points against University of New England (2/21/21) and snagging 10 rebounds against UNE on the same date.  Hendricks also has career-highs of seven assists set against Castleton (1/11/20) and three steals, done twice, most recently versus Eastern Connecticut (1/18/20).
• Senior Derek Haney finishes his Husky career with 463 points in 54 games.  The Huskies guard has connected for 87 three-pointers, shooting a solid 38.4 percent from long-range.  In addition to his 463 points, Haney has 176 rebounds, 74 assists, 30 steals and eight blocked shots. Haney scored a career-high 24 points against Western Connecticut (1/25/20) and had a career-high three steals against Rhode Island College (2/5/20).  During the 2021 season, Haney matched his career marks in rebounding with nine and assists with four against UNE (2/21/21).