WATERVILLE — Rachael Mack has taken thousands of free throws in her life, so she didn’t put any pressure on herself when she stepped to the line early in the first half on Monday night.

“I was just talking to myself, telling myself it’s just like shooting foul shots in practice,” Mack, a Colby College senior, said.

Additional Photos

IMPACT PLAYER: Colby College’s Rachael Mack, (0) looks for her shot against Bates’ Brianna Hawkins during game Monday in Waterville. Mack scored her 1,000th point in the first quarter. Staff photo by David Leaming

Mack nailed both free throws, but it was the first one that made history. That shot gave Mack 1,000 points for her career. Mack finished with a game-high 20 points as the Mules (7-1) cruised to a 74-57 win over rival Bates (5-5).

Heading into the game, Mack need five points for 1,000. She made an 8-foot jumper just over three minutes in, then sank a layup off a pass from Jayde Bennett with 15:24 left in the first half, setting up the milestone foul shot.

Mack is the 15th woman in Colby basketball history to score 1,000 points, and is the third Mule in as many seasons to reach the milestone. Alison Cappelloni scored her 1,000th point in 2009-10, and Jules Kowalski pulled off the feat last season.

“I knew I was close (to 1,000),” Mack said. “It didn’t need to be a bigger deal than it was.”

An Augusta native, Mack struggled shooting in Colby’s previous two games, going a combined 7 for 25 from the field. Against Bates, Mack, a career .518 shooter, found her touch, making 9 of 12 shots.

“Anyone paying attention to our last two games saw she struggled a little bit,” Colby coach Julie Veilleux said. “This game, it probably felt very nice for the ball to go in like it can for her.”

Bates had no answer for Colby’s size advantage in the paint. The 6-foot-2 Mack and 6-3 Jill Vaughan (13 points, seven rebounds) made a number of uncontested layups. The duo scored 10 points in 15-2 Colby run at the start of the second half, and the Mules 10-point halftime lead ballooned to 60-37.

“The last few games, we’d been tentative inside,” Mack said. “Tonight we made smart passes and played aggressive.”

Added Veilleux: “I knew we had a size advantage, but it wasn’t so much that as moving the ball, making good passes and setting good screens. Passing it inside, that’s the best I’ve seen from us.”

The low post game opened up Colby’s outside shooters, and the Mules made seven 3-pointers. Aarika Ritchie scored 13 points for Colby. Waterville’s Jen Nale and Jacky McLaughlin each hit a pair of threes for the Mules.

Freshman Molly Brown came off the bench to lead Bates with 13 points, while Allaina Murphy added 12 for the Bobcats, who shot just 38.2 percent (21 for 55) from the field.

Williams 71, UNE 49: Williams used a 27-4 run in the opening half to cruise to the nonconference victory in Biddeford. Claire Baecher scored 15 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Ephs (11-0).

Beth Suggs scored 17 points while Newport native Kelley Paradis finished with nine points to lead UNE (6-2).

Binghamton 72, Maine 54: Brittany Williams scored 18 points but it wasn’t enough for the Black Bears in an America East game in Vestal, N.Y. Samantha Baranowski had 11 points to lead Maine (3-11).

Viive Rebane scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Bearcats (7-7).

Orla O’Reilly added 22 points for Binghamton as well.

Men’s basketball

Maine 76, Binghamton 61: Alasdair Fraser scored 25 points and had eight rebounds to lead the Black Bears in their America East opener in Vestal, N.Y.

Justin Edwards finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Maine (7-5, 1-0).

Binghamton dropped to 0-13.

Men’s hockey

Colby 2, Salem State 1: Ray Zeek scored 1 minute, 51 seconds into overtime to lift the Mules at Rockett Arena in Salem, Mass. Salem State led 1-0 before Dan Nelson tied it for Colby midway through the second.

Jack Bartlett had an assist for the Mules.

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