DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by two 25+ point performances from sophomore Max Poulton and junior Jack Lawson, Colby College posted an 80-74 victory over UMass Dartmouth in the final game of the 2023 Lafrance Hospitality Tournament at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The Mules move to 2-2 on the season, while the Corsairs are now 0-4. The earlier game on the day saw the Trinity College Bantams post a 70-58 victory over the Saint Joseph Blue Jays for the Tournament win. Trinity's sophomore Henry Vetter was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The visiting Mules struck quickly in the opening half of action, opening the game on a 5-0 run, with all five points coming from Poulton. The Corsairs responded with a run of their own, as senior
Isaac Percy nailed a three-ball and two free-throws to put UMD up by two. The two teams traded leads through the middle of the first half. Corsairs sophomore
John Marcille tied the score at 32-32 with a three with 5:23 remaining in the half.
The Corsairs retook the lead at the 4:37 mark with a thunderous put-back slam from senior
Michael Eurquhart Jr. In his second game with the Corsairs, freshman
Jon Guerrier scored a pair of buckets to put UMD up 41-36 with 1:12 remaining. A pair of free throws and a layup from Colby's senior Lucas Green helped close the gap to two points going into halftime. The Corsairs held a 41-39 advantage going into the break.
Second half action saw the Mules up their offensive early on. Colby went on a 9-0 run to start the half, claiming a seven-point lead with 17:38 on the clock. The Colby lead continued to grow, peaking at 14 points following a Poulton deep ball. Marcille battled the Corsairs back into it, hitting back-to-back threes, one of which was an and-one. Sophomore
Josh Lopes made his presence known with two steals leading to fast break layups, including an and-one of his own. The scoring spree from Marcille and Lopes cut the Mules' lead back down to just two at 10:33. Another Lopes three followed by a finish plus the foul from senior
Jackson Zancan gave the Corsairs their first lead of the half.
Poulton and Lawson overwhelmed the Corsairs in the closing minutes with help from freshman Kameran Rodriguez, who sunk six consecutive free throws in the final two minutes of action. UMass Dartmouth was unable to overcome the closing ability of the Mules from the charity stripe, as Colby College came away with the 80-74 victory.
Poulton, who would be named to the All-Tournament Team following this game, paced the Mules with 27 points on 5 of 9 from deep. Lawson added a 25 point, 12 rebound double-double. Colby saw two other scorers reach double-figures in Green and Rodriguez.
The Corsairs were paced by Marcille, who posted 18 points with eight rebounds and two assists. Marcille was the Corsairs' selection to the All-Tournament Team. Lopes scored 16 points before fouling out late in the second half. Zancan added 14 points and three assists.
The 2023 Lafrance Hospitality Men's Basketball Tournament has wrapped up, and the Corsairs will return to action on Tuesday, November 28. UMass Dartmouth will host Bridgewater State for a 7:30 tipoff at the Tripp Athletic Center.
