WATERVILLE, Maine -- Matt Hanna scored a game-high 25 points for Colby and the Bates men's basketball team struggled from the field in a 79-63 road loss to the Mules Friday night. 

Sophomore Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine) scored a career-high 18 points on 7-18 shooting to pace the Bobcats (6-8, 0-5 NESCAC) in the loss. Junior captain Stephon Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) added 16 points on 7-20 shooting and junior Jacob Iwowo (London, England) finished in double figures with 13 points on 3-12 shooting and six rebounds. 

Bates only shot 35.9% from the floor as a team while Colby (10-8, 2-3 NESCAC) shot 45.2 percent from the field. The Mules also shot 11-22 from three-point range, led by Hanna, who knocked down 5-9 from long range, and Noah Tyson, who finished with 16 points on 5-9 shooting, including 4-5 from three.

The Bobcats took an 11-7 lead with 16:25 left in the first half on a McCormick three before the Mules scored five straight points to go up 12-11. The game stood tied at 14 after an Iwowo free throw with 14:08 remaining in the opening 20 minutes. But a Hanna layup with 12:59 to go put Colby ahead for good.

The Mules slowly pulled away from Bates the rest of the half and the Bobcats trailed 45-35 at the intermission. 

Bates battled back at the start of the second half and cut the deficit to two at 48-46 on a McCormick three with 18:08 left in regulation.

The Mules answered immediately, going on a 10-0 run to make the score 58-46 with 12:48 left on a Cooper Wirkala three. A Baxter jumper with 9:14 remaining trimmed the deficit to five but that's as close as Bates got for the remainder of the evening.

Colby's bench scored 22 points while Bates' bench only tallied eight, with the offense reliant on McCormick, Baxter and Iwowo.

The Bobcats look to bounce back Sunday when they visit Bowdoin for a 3pm tip.