GORHAM, Maine -- Owning a seven-point surplus at intermission, Bates College would see its advantage slip away as the host-Huskies mustered a 38-22 surge in the second stanza, pushing the University of Southern Maine past the Bobcats, 73-64, Tuesday evening in NCAA Division III men's basketball action.

Carried by Jahmir Primer (So.-Hempstead, N.Y.) and his 13 first-half points, Bates slipped into the break owning a 42-35 lead in what marked the squad's initial road test of the campaign. A successful layup by Stephan Ward (Jr.-Boston, Mass.) 5:11 into the second frame inflated the Bobcats' surplus to 14 points (52-38), the largest cushion of the night for either team.

The Huskies (5-1) proceeded to turn up the heat on their guest as USM promptly ignited a 19-5 run to tie the contest at 57-all with 4:42 remaining in regulation. The home team refused to relent as it let loose an offensive push of the 13-1 variety, making the score 70-58 USM with only 29 ticks left on the clock.

After shooting a solid 15-for-25 (60.0%) in the opening half, the Bobcats went ice cold in the subsequent frame, hitting only 6-of-33 (18.2%) from the field. USM (9-for-29, 31%) did not fair much better in the second half, but the Huskies enjoyed the benefit of sinking 16-of-20 (80%) from the charity stripe.

Clay Huhm ended the evening leading the victors with 17 points in 31 minutes of action for USM. Mark Asare connected on four three-pointers in 21 minutes off the bench for the Huskies, finishing with 15 total points. Cody Hawes added nine boards and a game-high five helpers, complementing his 11 points in 33 minutes.

Despite the outcome, Primer paced all players with his game-high 20 points as the Bates' sophomore hit for 7-of-11 shooting in 33 minutes. Peter Psyhogeos (Fy.-Yarmouth, Maine) contributed 10 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes off the Bobcats' bench. The aforementioned Ward snared a top-total 13 boards in the effort.

Bates (1-2) returns to campus this Sunday to host the University of New England (2-4) at 3:00 p.m. in Alumni Gym.