Tom Coyne poured in a career-high 30 points to lead the Bates men's basketball team to victory at Colby on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (File photo by Theophil Syslo/Bates College)

WATERVILLE, Maine -- Sophomore Tom Coyne scored a career-high 30 points and the Bates men's basketball team rallied in the second half to defeat Colby 82-79 Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game at Wadsworth Gymnasium.

Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) hit 11 of 16 shots, including six of eight from three to go along with a team-high six rebounds in one of the best performances of his career. 

With 3:30 to go in the game and the score tied at 70, Coyne hit a three to give Bates (5-2) the lead for good. He then drained another three with 2:26 remaining, extending the Bates advantage to 76-70. 

After Wallace Tucker split a pair of free throws for the Mules (6-2), Coyne scored again to put Bates up 78-71 with 1:35 left. Sophomore Nick Gilpin (Hampden, Maine) made a layup to give the Bobcats a nine-point lead before Sam Jefferson hit a three to make the score 80-74 with 1:12 remaining in regulation.

Tucker got two more chances at the line, splitting the free throws both times. With the Bobcats up 80-76 and 13 seconds to go in the game, sophomore Jeff Spellman (Boston, Mass.) sank a pair of free throws. But Colby's Ethan Schlager responded with a three to cut the lead in half. After Gilpin missed the front end of a one and one on the other end, the Mules had a chance to tie the game. But Gilpin blocked Schlager's shot to seal the victory for Bates.

Coyne's offensive show was supported by Spellman's 19 points and 10 points apiece from Gilpin and junior Nick Lynch (Westford, Mass.). Gilpin added a game-high six assists. 

Matt Hanna poured in a team-high 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists for the Mules.

The Bobcats trailed 44-37 at halftime. They led 25-23 with 7:09 to go in the first half when Hanna hit a three to put the Mules up by one. Tucker put Colby up three with a layup before Spellman responded with a layup of his own. Back-to-back Hanna threes put Colby up 34-27 with 5:44 left in the first. The Mules went up 41-31 on a Pat Dickert layup with 2:52 to go in the half, their largest lead of the game.

Spellman answered with a three-pointer, and with 47 seconds left in the half, Coyne knocked down a three to trim the Mule lead to 41-37. Schlager drilled a three at the very end of the half to put Colby up by seven at the break.

Bates found themselves down nine with 14:11 to go in the game after a Hanna layup. But the Bobcats went on a 16-4 run over the next four plus minutes, taking a one-point lead on a layup from first-year James Mortimer (Sudbury, Mass.) with 10:56 left, and extending that lead to three on a pair of free throws from sophomore Kody Greenhalgh (Warwick, R.I.) with 9:27 remaining.

The game remained very tight after that until Coyne's personal 8-1 run put the Bobcats ahead for good. 

Dean Weiner, who played just 17 minutes due to foul trouble, still was 6-for-8 from the field for 13 points and blocked three shots for Colby. Sam Jefferson had 12 points and eight rebounds, Tucker scored 11, and Steven Daley had eight for the Mules.

The Bobcats helped their own cause with just seven turnovers. Meanwhile, they forced 15 Colby turnovers. Bates made 12 of 18 free throws while Colby struggled at the line, hitting just five of 13.

Bates is back in action on Wednesday, December 20 when the Bobcats take on Concordia (Wis.) at the Daytona Beach Shootout.