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COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL

Van Loenen lifts Colby

Guard hits shot to send game to overtime

By Travis Lazarczyk tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

WATERVILLE -- Maybe it was a coincidence and maybe it was fate, but Colby College guard Christian Van Loenen was ready for the exact situation he found himself in the closing seconds of regulation in Friday night's basketball game against rival Bates.

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Staff photo by Michael G. Seamans Colby College's Eric Beaulieu, 43, left, and teammate Mike Russell, 00, right, battle for the rebound with Bates College's Ryan Weston, 50, in the first half of basketball action at Alfond Arena at Colby College in Waterville on Friday, Jan. 21, 2010.

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BATTLE FOR THE BOARD: Bates College’s Alex Gallant, left, battles for the rebound with Colby College’s Mike Russell in the first half Friday at Alfond Arena at Colby College in Waterville.

Staff photo by Michael G. Seamans

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"It just so happened toward the end of the week at practice, we were working on end of game situations, so it worked out perfect," Van Loenen said.

Van Loenen and the Mules trailed the Bobcats by two points, and after Bates' Alex Gallant missed the front end of a one-and-one chance with 9.3 seconds left, Colby pushed the ball up the court. Van Loenen used a Mike Russell screen to find an opening down the lane and sank a layup in the final second to tie the game and send it to overtime.

There, Van Loenen started a nine-point Colby run with a pair of foul shots, and the Mules won 75-69 in New England Small College Athletic Conference play.

Van Loenen missed a game-tying jumper with 10 seconds left in regulation, and the Mules (9-7, 1-1 NESCAC) immediately fouled Gallant.

Before the forward from Bates (9-9, 0-3) forward took his free throw, Colby called timeout to make sure everyone knew what had to happen if Gallant missed.

"We just said that if we get the ball, we had to go to the rim and get the first shot that showed," Colby coach Dick Whitmore said. "The ball was in the right guy's hands. Christian's just an amazing player."

Added Van Loenen, who scored a game-high 29 points: "As soon as (Gallant) missed that free throw, we knew we had a chance. We just tried to get the ball down as fast as we could. Mike set a good screen for me, I got it inside and the shot went in."

With 2 minutes, 15 seconds left in overtime, Van Loenen tied the game at 66-66 with a pair of foul shots. With 52.7 seconds to play, Gordon Fischer hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Mules the lead for good.

"That was a huge shot by Fischer," Whitmore said.

Throughout the game, the Bobcats worked hard to stop Russell from controlling the paint. While Bates held Colby's big man to 14 points, he still picked up 15 rebounds and seven assists.

"Mike's a hell of a player, so anytime he touches the ball he's getting double teamed and triple teamed. It just opens up the guys on the perimeter to make shots, and I was lucky enough to do that," Van Loenen said.

Added Whitmore: "It is what it is. We've been a 60 percent foul shooting team all year, and we get 13 of 14, and Russell still gets himself 15 rebounds."

Whitmore praised the defensive effort of senior Gus David, who came off the bench and helped the Mules get some big stops in the closing minutes.

"Gus David was our defensive substitution, and he just went in and made three really excellent plays. He made a switch off, he made a step in to shut the lane down, and he made a big rebound. I couldn't ask for more than that from him tonight," Whitmore said.

Colby built an 11-point lead in the first half, but the Bobcats quickly regained momentum. Thomas Deegan's short jumper gave Bates a 30-29 lead with 1:55 left in the first half, and the teams went into the break tied at 34-34.

The teams traded the lead 15 times in the second half, with neither ever leading by more than three points. Gallant led the Bobcats with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Mark Brust added 11 points.

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com