WATERVILLE, Maine --- Christian Van Loenen (Falmouth, Maine) hit a driving jumper in the lane with three seconds left in regulation to tie the game and then scored six points in overtime as the Colby College men's basketball team took a thrilling 75-69 overtime win over rival Bates College in New England Small College Athletic Conference play Friday night at Wadsworth Gymnasium.
Van Loenen finished with a game-high 29 points and added five steals as the Mules improved to 9-7 overall and 1-1 in the conference. Bates fell to 9-9 overall and 0-3 in league play.
Bates took a 60-58 lead when Alex Gallant (Bangor, Maine) hit one of two free throws with 3:18 to play in the game. Neither team could manage a point over the next few minutes. Van Loenen had a steal with 31 seconds left and then missed a jumper with 11 seconds to play. Gallant was fouled with nine seconds to play, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Mike Russell (Wellesley, Mass.) cleared the board and quickly got the ball to Van Loenen, who raced up the left side of the court and quickly changed direction to the middle as he drove the lane for the tying basket.
Bates led 66-64 in the overtime period, but Van Loenen hit a pair of free throws to tie it up with 2:15 to play. The Mules went ahead for good when Gordon Fischer (Camden, Maine) nailed a straightaway 3-point shot off a pass from Russell with 57 seconds to play. After a miss by Bates with 34 seconds left, the Mules quickly went on a fast-break and Ben Foreman (Los Angeles, Calif.) hit a lay-up with 26 seconds remaining from Gus David (McKinney, Texas) for a 71-66 margin. After another miss by Bates, Russell and Van Loenen each went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to help Colby secure the win.
Russell, ranked first in the NESCAC and fifth nationally in rebounding, finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. Fischer added 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting and dished three assists, Eric Beaulieu (Concord, Mass.) had eight points and three assists, and David had six points.
Gallant had 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting for Bates, while Mark Brust (Duxbury, Mass.) added 11 points and five assists. Brian Ellis (Braintree, Mass.) had 10 points and four assists, Kyle Philbrook (Auburn, Maine) had a game-high six steals to go along with eight points, and Ryan Weston (Bangor, Maine) had eight points and seven boards.
COLBY 75, BATES COLLEGE 69, OT
BATES COLLEGE (9-9, 0-3 NESCAC)
Alex Gallant 8-13 3-6 19; Mark Brust 5-13 0-0 11; Brian Ellis 5-14 0-0 10;
Ryan Weston 3-3 2-3 8; Kyle Philbrook 3-4 0-0 8; John Squires 2-3 2-2 6;
Thomas Deegan 2-4 0-0 4; Nick Schmiemann 1-3 0-0 3; Will Furbush 0-0 0-0 0;
Reid Christian 0-0 0-0 0; Luke Matarazzo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 7-11 69.
COLBY (9-7, 1-1 NESCAC)
Christian Van Loenen 8-20 9-10 29; Mike Russell 6-11 2-2 14; Gordon Fischer
4-6 0-0 10; Eric Beaulieu 4-5 0-0 8; Gus David 3-4 0-0 6; Ben Foreman 1-5
2-2 4; Uzoma Orchingwa 1-2 0-0 2; Kyle Donovan 1-1 0-0 2; Noah Atlas 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 28-54 13-14 75.
Bates College................. 34 26 9 - 69
Colby......................... 34 26 15 - 75
3-point goals--Bates College 4-14 (Kyle Philbrook 2-2; Mark Brust 1-4; Nick
Schmiemann 1-3; Luke Matarazzo 0-1; Brian Ellis 0-4), Colby 6-14 (Christian
Van Loenen 4-8; Gordon Fischer 2-3; Gus David 0-1; Ben Foreman 0-2). Fouled
out--Bates College-None, Colby-None. Rebounds--Bates College 32 (Ryan Weston
7; Alex Gallant 7), Colby 28 (Mike Russell 15). Assists--Bates College 15
(Mark Brust 5), Colby 22 (Mike Russell 7). Total fouls--Bates College 12,
Colby 13. Technical fouls--Bates College-None, Colby-None. A-500