BANGOR, Maine -- First-year Drew Sachs scored a game-high 23 points and the Bates men's basketball team edged Husson in an 82-80 thriller Monday night at Newman Gym. 

Sachs (Ann Arbor, Mich.) drained five of his six three-pointers in the second half to lead the Bobcats (5-3) to victory. 

With the game tied at 77, junior Omar Sarr (Dakar, Senegal) grabbed an offensive rebound off a rare Sachs miss, converting the bucket and drawing a foul, putting Bates up 79-77 with 1:25 left in regulation.

The Bobcats did not surrender the lead after that, but the Eagles (4-5) kept it close to the very end. Cam Wood split a pair of free throws before Sarr drained a pair to put the Bobcats ahead 81-78 with 49 seconds left. Sarr had a chance to put Bates up by two possessions but missed two free throws with 34 seconds remaining. Then DJ Bussey converted a layup, trimming the Bates lead to one with 18 seconds on the clock. With 11 seconds to go, sophomore Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine) split two free throws, giving Bates an 82-80 edge.

Husson's Justice Kendall managed to draw a foul near half court, getting two free throws with four seconds to go in the contest. He missed the first and then he missed the second on purpose to give his teammates a chance to get the rebound. Wood got the rebound for Husson but missed a layup attempt. Then Sarr blocked a last-second baseline shot from Jared Balser, securing the win for Bates.

Bates trailed by four at halftime and the Eagles led by as many as nine in the second half on a Kendall free throw with 12:32 to play. 

That's when Sachs took over. He drained a three with 11:46 left. Then after Kendall made two free throws, Sachs hit another three, cutting the Husson lead to 62-57. The Eagles missed a three and Sachs drained a third consecutive triple, trimming the Bates deficit to 62-60 with 10:42 to go. 

The Eagles went up 67-62 on a Kendall layup. But first-year Jahmir Primer (Hempstead, N.Y.) had the answer, getting his own rebound and converting a layup with 7:59 left. Down by three, the Bobcats went to Sachs again, and the first-year delivered, knocking down his fourth three of the half and tying the game at 67. 

But Sachs wasn't done. Husson's Justin Thompson put the Eagles up 69-67 and Sachs immediately responded with his fifth three of the half, giving Bates a 70-69 lead with 6:41 to go.

Wood put Husson back in front by one with a layup. Then it was McCormick's turn to drain a three and Bates led 73-71. 

The Eagles went back up by two at 75-73 before Sachs tied the game again, hitting a jumper in the lane with 3:16 to go. Thompson hit two free throws for Husson but junior captain Stephon Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) tied the game at 77 with a layup and Husson never led again. 

Sachs made six of nine three-point attempts to pace the Bobcats. Baxter tallied 16 points on 7-13 shooting and notched a double-double thanks to a career-high 10 assists. McCormick hit four of seven from long range to finish with 10 points and Primer chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Sarr recorded six points on 2-3 shooting and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. 

Thompson led Husson with 19 points and Wood recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Bussey and Kendall both finished in double figures for the Eagles with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Three-pointers proved to be the difference, with the Bobcats shooting 14-30 (46.7 percent) from long range. Husson made just five of 18 three-point attempts. 

Bates is back in action on Friday, Dec. 31 at 1pm when the Bobcats take on Roger Williams in the Springfield Naismith Tournament.