Ellis	Wilson
Wirth	O'Keefe

BRUNSWICK, Maine -- The Bowdoin College men's basketball team closed overtime on a 14-2 run en route to a 71-62 victory over Bates College on Saturday evening. The Polar Bears improve to 6-1 after their fifth straight win. The Bobcats fall to 3-3 overall this year.

Bates held a 28-24 lead at halftime thanks to back-to-back buckets from junior Jimmy O'Keefe (Lexington, Mass.) late in the period. Bowdoin stayed in contention thanks to the first half performance of rookie Will Hanley, who netted 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the opening stanza. The Bobcats continued to roll in the second half, using a 6-1 run and four straight points from sophomore Brian Ellis (Braintree, Mass.) to open up an 11-point edge, 34-25, with 15:11 to play.

Bowdoin responded with a 10-0 run, keyed by seniors Kyle Jackson and Tim Lane. Jackson scored five points in the run with Lane adding four points and a block in the surge. When Hanley converted a three-point play with 11:13 to go, Bowdoin had regained the lead, 39-38. The squads traded buckets for the remainder of the period before the Polar Bears went on a 6-0 spurt, capped by a Mark Phillips Dunk to take a 51-45 edge with five minutes left.

Bates replied with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 54 thanks to five straight points from junior Sean Wirth (Barrington, R.I.). Phillips nailed a lay-in to give Bowdoin a 56-54 lead with 1:13 to go and Bates junior captain Chris Wilson (Brewer, Maine) answered with a running jumper with 46 seconds left and neither team would score again as the game entered overtime.

Bates jumped out quickly with a 4-0 run to open the extra session, as a Wilson three-pointer gave the visitors a 60-56 lead with just 3:30 to go. Jackson sparked the decisive run for the Polar Bears, connecting on consecutive three-pointers to give Bowdoin the lead for good, 62-60. Phillips scored on a lay-in and Mike Hauser hit four consecutive free throws to ice the win for the Polar Bears.

Hanley finished with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds for Bowdoin, while Jackson added 20 with five assists. After going scoreless in the first half, Phillips scored 14 in the second half and overtime. Bates was led by 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists from Wilson, and 18 points and 6 rebounds from Ellis. Bates held a 36-31 edge on the glass, but Bowdoin turned the ball over just seven times compared to the Bobcats' 16.

Wirth chipped in with 7 points and 8 rebounds for the Bobcats, and O'Keefe added 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Bates next plays on Dec. 16 at St. Joseph's College of Maine, tipping off at 7:30 p.m.

STATS: Bowdoin 71, Bates 62 (OT)