Waterville, Maine - Colby Men's Basketball started their season strong with a dominating win over University of Southern Maine.  A little touch and go in the middle the Mules came back to win by nearly 20 points.  This their first game during this season but it isn't their first time in an empty stadium.  The last time the Mules played was in the NCAA Division III quarterfinal last March before everyone was sent home due to COVID-19.  The team brought the energy and the type of team play that they've been missing all winter.

Colby came out hot against the Huskies with Alec McGovern (21) and Cooper Wirkala (4) getting the ball rolling.  Colby settled in to a more controlled game speed as the quarter continued, still maintaining their lead. McGovern struck again at the twelve minute mark with a steal and break away that finished with a three-pointer, forcing a USM timeout. USM surged through the middle of the quarter taking the lead after hitting several three pointers. A key assist by Will King (14) to Lucas Green (2) for an alley-oop buoyed Colby's resurgence towards the end of the half as well as another McGovern three-pointer. Jonah King (25) and Wirkala executed a near perfect pick and roll in the final two minutes. At the end of the first half USM leads 38 to 28 due to their end of three-point shooting percentage of 54.5 on 11 attempts. Standout players for Colby include McGovern with 8 points on 6 shots, King with 5 assists, and Obi with 8 rebounds. Colby's first half shooting percentage of 32.4% prevented the Mules from taking the lead but Colby was looking to lock down Husky shooters and take advantage of their shooting opportunities to pursue a victory in the second half.
 

Colby started off the second half strong with a three-point play after McGovern was fouled going to the basket. The energy turned back towards Colby when Obi had a powerful dunk. Wallace Tucker (55) brought Colby within four after a timely three-point following a scrum and then a key block by King. Green set up another key three for David Basich (41). After coming within four, Colby's offensive rebounding led to another Basich three-point play after he was fouled putting Colby within 1. Tucker had the go-ahead three at the 10 minute mark to give Colby their first lead since early in the first half and then followed it up with another jumper on the next offensive possession. With a certain confidence, Tucker hit a three on the next possession giving Colby a solid lead of six with nine minutes to go. After Tucker's run, Colby's offense kept clicking with baskets from Basich, McGovern, and King along with an Obi dunk helping extend the Mules lead to 14. Obi continued his dominance on the defensive end with a commanding block and then a three-point play on the offensive half.

Colby never looked back after their mid-half surge and played a phenomenal second half highlighted by great shooting from the three point line and strong team defense. Colby played incredible team basketball in the second half leading to an 87-68 win. Four of five Colby's starters including King, Obi, McGovern and Wirkala had over 10 points. Basich and Tucker also made strong contributions from the bench with 9 and 11 points respectively. Defensively Obi was phenomenal with 14 rebounds and two blocks. King led the way offensively with a 12 point triple double and McGovern led the team in scoring with 19 points on 11 shooting attempts. Colby's second half surge was fueled by a shooting percentage of 59%, allowing them to overwhelm USM.

Catch the Mules on Friday March 12th play USM in Portland, hopefully bringing another win back to the Hill.  Stay COVID-safe and stream it from the Colby Men's Basketball Schedule Website!