WATERVILLE – No spurts.

That’s how Western Connecticut Coach Bob Campbell said his third-seeded team could beat No. 2 Colby in Wednesday night’s semifinal round of the ECAC New England Division III men’s basketball tournament. Just don’t let the Mules put together bunches of points.

He might as well have told his players to dribble across Colby’s portable floor without hitting a dead spot, or take a shower and not get wet.

Led by sophomore point guard Matt Gaudet and the Bangor connection of senior center Paul Butler and junior guard Chip Clark, Colby strung together shots like a bunch of pool sharks in the first half, then withstood one run by the Colonials in the second half before pulling away for a 91-77 victory at Wadsworth Gym.

The win put Colby in the championship game for the fourth straight year. The Mules (21-3) will shoot for N.E. title No. 3 Saturday at top-seeded Williams, an 83-69 winner over Wheaton.

Gaudet pierced Western Conn (20-6) for 22 points. Butler celebrated his 22nd birthday by scoring 21 from in and around the paint, also grabbing 10 rebounds. Clark added 18 points and 10 assists on his usual assortment of acrobatic drives to the basket, dish-offs, and a 3-point bomb.

David Stephens, a promising 6-foot-6 freshman, stuck in 14 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and blocked three shots to aid the Mules. Sophomore guard Greg Walsh added 10 points off the bench.

Asked after watching those players contribute to Colby’s 56 percent shooting night if his team was playing as well as it can, veteran Mules coach Dick Whitmore said, “damn near it.”

Colby’s balance was fully evident as it pushed a 15-point halftime edge to 20 with 17:10 to play (57-37). Inside, outside, in transition, Colby couldn’t miss.

But Western was not going to go home without a fight. The Colonials went to frantic, trapping fullcourt pressure and, led by the stealing and scoring of junior guard Lonnie Brooks (20 points) and 6-4 junior forward Paul Ellis (18), they succeeded in pulling within a scary six points with 10:15 left (61-55).

At that point Colby’s Walsh drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key off a Butler kick-out, lighting off a 19-7 spurt for the Mules that ended with their holding an 80-62 lead with 3:30 left. Walsh scored eight in the run. Gaudet added seven. Butler and Stephens had two each. Most importantly, the Mules handled the pressure.

“Our guards have handled the ball well under pressure all year,” said Butler. “The key was settling down and getting the ball where we needed to against the press.”

Campbell of WC said after the loss he saw another key even before Colby came out for the opening tap.

“When I watched them warm up I noticed everyone on their team had scrapes on their knees and bruises on their legs,” said the Colonials coach. “We don’t. They wanted it more than we did.”

By halftime, Colby had showed how badly it wanted it, building a commanding 48-33 lead constructed on crushing runs of 17-5, 9-3, and a closing burst of 8-2.

Butler was in the middle of all of them, scoring 15 points in the half while holding Colonials counterpart Ellis to a manageable eight.

It was Butler’s lane scoop shot in traffic and a 10-foot jumper from the left baseline that ignited the 17-5 run, taking the Mules from a 13-9 deficit to a 26-18 lead with 9:36 left.

Clark (10 points in the half) chipped in with a pair of 3-pointers, both the conventional and long-shot variety. Gaudet (13 points) added two free throws and a conventional three. Rob Carbone’s eight footer capped it.

After Western pulled within 26-20, a Butler drop-step, pivot and hook shot over Jason Morrison became a conventional three, starting the 9-3 burst that made it 35-23 with 5:37 left.

Butler closed out the Mules’ 8-2 run to end the half by draining a pair of foul shots with no time on the clock after being intentionally fouled going hard to the basket.

Mules 91, Colonials 77

Western Connecticut Colby

Name AG G AF F TP Name AG G AF F TP

Brooks 18 7 5 2 20 Walsh 4 3 4 2 10

Devine 0 0 0 0 0 Stephens 5 4 6 6 14

Symecko 6 1 0 0 2 Butler 12 9 3 3 21

Ellis 13 8 3 2 18 Clark 15 6 8 5 18

Lukasewski 6 5 4 3 13 Gaudet 16 8 3 3 22

Zlogas 6 2 2 1 5 Dorion 0 0 0 0 0

Nichols 8 2 0 0 6 Carbone 4 2 0 0 4

Hughes 1 1 0 0 2 Bergeron 0 0 2 2 2

Petty 1 1 0 0 3 McCrum 0 0 0 0 0

Peterson 2 1 1 0 2 Bubar 0 0 0 0 0

Morrison 5 3 0 0 6 Flanagan 0 0 0 0 0

Murray 0 0 0 0 0

Haynes 1 0 0 0 0

Totals 66 31 15 8 77 Totals 57 32 26 21 91

Colby 48 91

Western Connecticut 33 77

3-pt. goals: Colby (6-14): Walsh (2-2), Clark (1-5), Gaudet (3-7); Western Connecticut (6-24): Brooks (3-10), Symecko (0-3), Ellis (0-1), Zlogas (0-4), Nichols (2-6), Petty (1-1)