The Colonials (12-9, 4-6) jumped out to a 9-2 lead as senior Jason Barnett (Windsor, CT) scored the first two, of his ten points on the game, with 16:12 to play in the opening frame. The seven-point margin would be the greatest deficit for either team on the afternoon. A back-and-forth first-half left the Huskies (10-11, 3-7) with a one-point advantage, 25-24, after the first half.
In the second-half, the game continued to be very evenly matched as there were ten ties and 11 lead changes. With 1:13 to go and the game tied at 56 apiece, WestConn senior Greg Cole (Terrytown, NY) nailed a three-pointer to give the lead to the home team. Two free-throws by Huskies guard Andy Frost brought the Huskies within one. WestConn sophomore guard Kyle Norfleet (Waterbury, CT) then drained a free throw of his own to give the Colonials a 60-58 advantage with 32 seconds to play.
With 19 seconds showing on the clock, USM’s Bill Hardwick (Boothbay, ME) nailed a jumper to tie the game and send it to overtime deadlocked at 60 apiece.
The first overtime saw both teams’ trade two-point baskets twice and the score was 64-64 following the first OT.
In the second OT, the Colonials took a five-point lead with just 44 seconds to go on a free-throw by junior guard Jamaal Robinson (Meriden, CT). That would be all the Colonials needed for the win as they took the 74-70 victory.
Cole led all scorers with 18 points while Barnett collected a team-high ten rebounds.
The Huskies were led by Hardwick’s 15 points and Jesse McKinnell (Manomet, MA) tallied 13 boards.
The Colonials travel to Rhode Island College on Tuesday, February 7 for a Little East Conference match-up with the Anchomen; tip is scheduled for 7:30.