Colby College went on a 9-2 run in the last two minutes and the Mules edged the Hamilton College Continentals 64-58 in the first round of the 2022 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Friday evening.
 
No. 8 seed Hamilton ended its season with a 12-13 overall record. The Continentals shot 36.1 percent from the field including 5 of 20 from 3-point range, and went 9-for-16 at the free-throw line.
 
No. 9 seed Colby improved to 12-12 with the postseason road record. The Mules will travel to Middletown, Conn., to face top-seeded Wesleyan University on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. in the NESCAC championship quarterfinals.
 
Hamilton's Nick Osarenren '22 filled the stat sheet with a team-high 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made three steals before he fouled out with 4:00 left. Patrick Mogan '23 went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe and dropped in 14 points. Eric Anderson '23 and Elliott Tirbaso '22 tallied eight points apiece. Conner Rood '23 led the Continentals on the glass with nine rebounds and dished out nine assists.
 
Colby was paced by Noah Tyson with 16 points, six boards, and three steals. Will King and Alec McGovern collected 12 points apiece off the bench, and Matt Hanna put in 10 points. The Mules shot 42.3 percent from the floor and 14 of 18 at the line. Colby produced 32 points in the paint and 31 from the bench.
 
Trailing 55-49 with 4:00 remaining, Hamilton produced a 7-0 scoring spurt that started with a jumper in the paint by Tirbaso. Mogan made two free throws and Anderson drained a 3-pointer on a feed from Rood for a 1-point lead at 56-55 with 2:04 remaining. Colby responded with layups by McGovern and Cooper Wirkala before Mogan made a pair of free throws with just under a minute to go. King beat the shot clock with a layup and the Mules forced a crucial turnover with 14 seconds left. Colby closed out the contest by going 3-for-4 at the line.
 
Neither team held more than a nine-point lead, and the scoring margin was no bigger than seven in the second half. There were four ties and four lead changes throughout the contest. Hamilton held the lead for 13 minutes and 31 seconds.
 
Hamilton went on an early 9-0 run and led the Mules 9-2 a little more than four minutes into the first half. Colby responded with a 7-0 spurt and tied the Continentals with 13:26 left. Anderson followed with a layup and Hamilton held a single-digit lead for the next nine minutes. Hanna's deep three-ball put the Mules up 26-23 and was part of a 16-3 run. Colby held onto the lead the last 3:50 of the half and took a 35-31 advantage into the break.