Condon key as Mules stop Braves> Guard regaining her skills

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BANGOR – Colby sophomore Kim Condon said she felt winded, out of shape, and a step behind Thursday in her second game back from a stress fracture in her left hip.

The Husson Braves couldn’t tell as Condon’s Mules jumped out to a big halftime lead, and Condon went 5-for-7 from the line in the second half to help give Colby a comfortable 71-62 victory at Newman Gymnasium.

“I’m so out of shape. For me it’s like November first,” said Condon, who scored 12 points. “My shot was off. My coach said my conditioning is affecting that. I think the thing that is disappointing is that, normally, I can push the ball upcourt for an easy layup. I didn’t have the confidence to take it to the hoop. Coach said my desire will come with conditioning.”

After entering the game 5 minutes, 45 seconds into the first half, Condon scored six of her 14 points in the half. But she had plenty of time to get warmed up as sophomore roommate Amanda Cochrane opened the first half with 16 of her 29 points.

The Braves took an 11-2 lead at the start of the game. Then when Colby’s Jen Hallee scored in the post and Erin Cole-Karagory netted a put-back four minutes later, the Mules’ run had begun.

With Husson leading 11-6, Colby freshman standout Katie Lawson hit a runner in the lane and followed up with a free throw to pull Colby within two. Hallee kept the momentum going, swiping the ball from Tina Tobin and scoring down low to tie it at 11-11.

Then Cochrane got started.

Beginning at 13:14 with a shot in the low post, she scored six of Colby’s next seven baskets to make it 25-18. Cochrane said well-timed feeds from Condon helped her find the open scoring lanes.

“I’m really glad to have her back,” Cochrane said of Condon. “She has a presence on the court. And we work well together.”

Husson struggled to box out in the first half, switching between a 1-3-1 and a 1-2-2 zone defense.

The Braves switched to man-to-man in the second, putting junior Kelly Dow of Calais on Cochrane, and the changes helped. The Braves’ showed renewed intensity and came within five points with 1:30 left.

With Dow holding Cochrane to three field goals in the half, Husson allowed Colby only 12 points in the first 15 minutes.

But when Cochrane drew two fouls in the last minute and went 4-for-4 from the line, Husson couldn’t fight back. Even Brave Katie Nye’s 3-pointer that made it 68-62 with :34 left couldn’t slow the Mules.

“The first half they killed us on the boards. We weren’t boxing out,” Dow said. “We picked up our full-court press in the second. But with [1:30] to go, we were fouling and they were going to the line [repeatedly]. It was out of control.”

Husson coach Kissy Walker, whose Braves are now 3-11 and 2-1 in the Maine Athletic Conference, said the game was a steppingstone.

“We’re young and just got two [transfers] this week,” Walker said. “We missed blocking out. But we came back and showed optimism. We’re 2-1 in the conference. That’s what matters.”

Nye led Husson with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.

Colby 71, Husson 62

White Mules (7-5) Braves (3-11)

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

Cochrane 12 20 5 7 29 Nye 6 16 0 0 15

Condon 2 9 7 9 12 K. Dow (jr.) 6 12 2 4 14

Cole-Kargry 5 10 5 6 15 Trott 2 10 1 2 7

Freese 1 3 1 2 3 Doughty 6 10 0 0 13

Lawson 2 4 2 4 6 Weed 2 3 0 0 4

Hallee 3 6 0 0 6 K. Dow (fr.) 4 10 0 1 9

Usher 0 5 0 0 0 Weston 0 4 0 0 0

Heon 0 2 0 0 0 Tobin 0 1 0 0 0

Totals 25 59 20 28 71 Totals 26 66 3 7 62

Colby 42 71

Husson 28 62

3-pt. goals: Colby (1-8): Condon 1-3, Hallee 0-1, Cole-Karagory 0-1, Usher 0-2, Freese 0-1; Husson (7-13): Nye 3-9, Trott 2-2, Doughty 1-1, K. Dow (fr.) 1-1

Attendance: 85 (est.)