Hamilton College's Conner Rood '23 scored a career-high 21 points and the Continentals posted a 66-54 NESCAC win over the Colby College Mules at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Friday night.
 
Hamilton improved to 12-9 overall and 4-3 in the conference. The Continentals will host Bowdoin College for another NESCAC game on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. Hamilton will honor Elliott Tirbaso '22 and Nick Osarenren '22 during a Senior Day ceremony at the beginning of halftime.
 
The Mules dropped to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in the conference. Colby shot 34 percent from the floor, including 5 of 19 from deep, and went 15-for-21 (71.4 percent) at the free-throw line.
 
Rood was 8 of 14 from the field and collected six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Liam Regan '23 drained three 3-pointers and dropped in 15 points. Osarenren filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a pair of blocks. Patrick Mogan '23 led the defense with four of their season-high 12 blocked shots. Hamilton shot 50 percent from the floor but just 11-for-22 at the charity stripe. The Continentals collected 38 points in the paint.
 
Colby was paced by Matt Hanna's 11 points and five assists. Cooper Wirkala tallied eight points and Noah Tyson collected seven and led the Mules with seven rebounds. Jack Lawson put up six points, grabbed six rebounds and was credited with two steals.  
 
The Continentals opened the first half with a 9-2 run, but Colby responded with a 9-3 spurt powered by a pair of 3-pointers and a bucket in the paint to cut Hamilton's lead to one. Hamilton countered with a 13-2 run that was sparked by a trio of Regan 3-pointers for a 25-13 lead with 7:32 remaining.
 
The Continentals gathered their largest lead of the half of 15 points after Regan converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play that made it 35-20 with 2:33 left. The Mules finished the half with seven straight points. Hanna made a pair of free throws and a deep 3-pointer, and Tyson's layup made it 35-27 at the break.
 
Colby started the second stanza with a jumper that cut the Continentals' lead to six but the Mules didn't get any closer. The Continentals took their largest lead of the night of 16 points at 50-34 on an Eric Anderson '23 steal and Osarenren dunk with 14:07 remaining. Colby called a timeout, scored the next seven points and pulled within 50-41 midway through the second. Tirbaso drove into a paint for a pull-up jumper that made it 52-41 with 10:31 to go, and Hamilton maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way.