Colby College's Chris Hudnut poured in a season-high 25 points and matched his season best with 10 rebounds as the Mules rallied for a 69-65 NESCAC win against Hamilton College at Colby’s Wadsworth Gymnasium on Jan. 6.
The Mules (4-7 overall, 1-0 NESCAC) lead the all-time series against the Continentals, 6-5. Colby shot a blistering 64.3 percent (9-14) from 3-point range and had a 33-29 rebounding advantage.
Hudnut posted his first double-double with the Mules. He was 9-for-12 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Sam Wilson, Danny Chase and Patrick Stewart all chipped in 10 points. Shane Rogers dished out a season-high eight assists and didn't commit a turnover.
Matt Hart '16 paced the Continentals (7-7, 0-2) with 22 points, a season-high seven assists and added five rebounds and three steals. Greg Newton '14 dropped in 14 points and Bradley Gifford '15 scored 12. Peter Kazickas '15 and Hans Schulte '13 also grabbed five boards.
Colby got off to a fast start and held a 24-11 lead with 8:40 left in the first half. After Hudnut went to the bench with his second foul with 6:59 remaining, the Continentals went on an 18-0 run to go up 33-27. Colby scored the final points of the half and cut Hamilton’s lead to 33-29. Hart finished the half with 14 points. The Continentals outrebounded the Mules 21-14 in the opening 20 minutes.
The Mules began the second half with a 21-8 run and went back in front 50-41 with 11:20 to go. Colby extended its lead to 60-50 before the Continentals went on a 10-2 spurt to climb within two points at 62-60 with 4:42 left.
Hart tied the score at 65-65 on his fourth trifecta of the afternoon with 2:17 remaining. Hudnut and Rogers combined to go 3-for-4 at the charity stripe to put the Mules back on top 68-65 with just 22 seconds to play. The Continentals missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left and Colby knocked down one final free throw with 4.7 seconds remaining for the final margin.
"Colby made big plays on both ends of the court to earn the win," head coach Adam Stockwell said. "We never made the defensive plays we needed. Our sense of urgency has to increase."
The Mules shot 47.8 percent (22-46) from the floor while the Continentals shot 41.9 percent (26-62). Hamilton took almost twice as many 3-pointers as Colby (27) and made nine.
Hamilton returns home for another NESCAC game against Amherst College on Friday, Jan. 11.
