Waterville, Maine - Colby Women's Basketball faced the University of Southern Maine Huskies in their sixth game of the season. Continuing their undefeated season, the Mules defeated the Huskies in a close match with a final score of 41-39.
The first quarter proved dominant for the Mules, maintaining their lead throughout the allotted time. The quarter underscored the number of talented players playing for Colby, with various team members contributing to the 13 points scored. The quarter was high-action defensively, with various rebounds and turnovers filling the time between points. The second quarter was low-scoring, with the Mules landing an additional 9 points. It was once again a defensive quarter, with a number of rebounds and turnovers made by both teams. The Huskies came back to close the four point lead the Mules opened with, exiting the half with a tie score of 22-22.
The Huskies picked up their momentum in the third quarter, mustering up the energy to claim a lead over the Mules. This lead was set when the Huskies made a successful layup in the second minute of the quarter, the first points of the half. The Huskies kept pushing, advancing their score by 11 points during the quarter. The Mules attempted to stifle this momentum, but it was not enough to close the lead by the end of the quarter, moving the teams into the final quarter with a score of 33-29. The Mules responded late in the fourth quarter, though, thanks to a tough defense holding off scoring by the Huskies and a strong offensive front from the Mules. While the Huskies widened their lead early in the quarter from two points to six, the Mules fought back, starting with a layup by Caroline Smith '24. From here, the Mules were able to tie up the game with another layup by Smith and three free throws from Carly Christofori '22 and Smith. During this comeback, the Mules were also able to consistently defend against Husky shots and defensively rebound their missed attempts, allowing the Huskies to score only two points in the final seven minutes of the game. Nevertheless, the Huskies lead was maintained by one point until the final second of the game, when Carter McGloon '24 made a successful three pointer to put the Mules ahead.
The game ended with a final score of 41-39. The team was propelled by Caroline Smith '24, who scored 20 points throughout the game, nearly half of the points scored by the Mules. Smith and Christofori defensively lead the team, making 8 and 7 rebounds, respectively.
Colby Women's Basketball is next set to face Bowdoin in their first game of the NESCAC season on Saturday, December 4 at 3:00 PM.
