STATS: Bates 78, Southern Maine 55

Rob Stockwell '07 posted his third double-double in as many games.

LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates College men's basketball team scored the first 12 points of the game, jumped out to a 47-17 lead at the half and cruised to a 78-55 non-league victory over the University of Southern Maine Tuesday night.

Senior forward Rob Stockwell (Temple, N.H.) had 19 points and 13 rebounds, including 17 and 12 in the first half, while junior guard Bryan Wholey (Marshfield, Mass.) scored a game- and season-high 21 points to pace the Bobcats (3-0), who avenged a 77-68 loss at Southern Maine a year ago.

First-year guard John Sewall (Bath, Maine) scored a team-high 11 points for the Huskies (2-1), who shot only 7-for-28 from the field in the first half but rebounded to outscore the Bobcats 38-31 in the second half.

Bryan Wholey '08 shot 8-for-14 from the field, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers.

Bates hit on all cylinders in the opening minutes and shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half (20-36), including 50 percent (7-14) on 3-pointers. Stockwell was 8-for-11 in the first period, and Wholey hit all three of his three-point attempts for 13 first-half points.

The Bobcats turned cold for a lengthy stretch of the second half, scoring eight points in eight minutes as the Huskies closed the gap from 54-19 to 62-39.

Bates senior Zak Ray (Bangor, Maine) dished out eight assists and scored seven points. Senior forward Sam Taylor (Redwood City, Calif.) tied a career high with nine rebounds to go with six points. Wholey added five assists to his scoring output.

Bates plays host to Endicott on Monday, Nov. 27. Southern Maine will play at Bowdoin on Tuesday, Nov. 28.