WATERVILLE, Maine -- First-year forward
Jacob Iwowo had a breakout game for the Bates men's basketball team as the Bobcats' comeback attempt from a 20-point halftime deficit fell short in a 72-61 non-conference loss at No. 12 nationally ranked Colby on Tuesday night.
High-flying Colby (20-2) was held to .395 shooting from the field and a season-low .171 (6-35) from three by the Bobcats (11-11). But five Mules scored in double figures in the win, led by Matt Hanna with 15 points. Noah Tyson added 14 points and 13 rebounds and Alex Dorion contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Alec McVoern and Wallace Tucker scored 10 points apiece off of Colby's bench.
Making his first career start and playing a career-high 30 minutes, the 6-foot-7 Iwowo (London, England) scored 19 points and added 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Iwowo made 8-of-16 shots from the field, but the Bobcats struggled as a team in shooting the ball, making 24-of-69 shots (.348) and 4-18 from three (.222).
Bates fell behind quickly in the game, trailing 11-2 after Hanna's three with 16:30 to go in the period. The Mules extended the lead to 19-4 and 27-9 and to as many as 23 points several times in the first half.
Iwowo and senior Tom Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) scored 11 points apiece in the second half, as the Bobcats outscored the Mules 33-24 in a too-little, too-late comeback attempt.
Coyne shared the team scoring lead with 19 points, and first-year Stephon Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) added 11 points. Senior Jeff Spellman (Boston, Mass.) made only 1-of-10 shots from the field and scored four points, but he grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in the contest.
Colby led by 17 with 13:20 left in the game, but back-to-back layups by Coyne cut it to 57-44. Bates held Colby scoreless on six straight possessions to stay within 15, and a Coyne three cut it to 59-47.
With 7:18 to go, Iwowo made a pair of free throws to make it a seven-point game at 61-54. A Spellman layup also got the Bobcats within seven. Baskets by Hanna and Tyson held Bates off, so a three by Baxter with 1:38 left only cut the deficit to eight, and Bates could get no closer.
Two regular starters this season, senior Kody Greenhalgh (West Warwick, R.I.) and first-year Omar Sarr (Dakar, Senegal), were out of action for the night. Colby's leading scorer, Sam Jefferson, also sat out.
Bates will wrap up the regular season this weekend on the road, with games at Williams Friday at 7pm and at Middlebury on Saturday at 3pm.
