Daytona Beach, Fla. - Bates College men's basketball closed out the calendar year on a high note Friday as the Bobcats outlasted Gettysburg College, 75-68, on the second-and-final day of the Florida Sunshine Shootout in Daytona Beach's Volusia County Ocean Center.

In a first half that provided seven ties and five lead changes, Bates snapped a 27-27 stalemate by concocting an 8-0 spurt over the final 3:17 to enter intermission with a 35-27 cushion.

The Bobcats would never relinquish its lead in the second stanza, extending their surplus to a game-high 16 points when a Trace Gotham (Jr.-Medfield, Mass.) layup made the score 64-48 Bates with 7:34 to go in regulation.

Trailing by 15 (71-56) with 3:19 remaining, the Bullets battled back with a 12-0 run to slice the deficit to just three (71-68) at the 1:07 mark. After calling a time out,  a composed Bobcats squad came back out and promptly poured in five unanswered points, putting the victory on ice with a pair of Steph Baxter (Sr.-Worcester, Mass.) free throws with 12 ticks left on the clock.

The aforementioned Gotham topped all players with a season-high 19 points for Bates, hitting 8-of-11 field goal attempts in his 35 minutes. Baxter followed with 17 points of his own in 38 minutes, while grabbing five boards and dishing a quintet of helpers. Devin Harris (Jr.-Bear, Del.) contributed 11 points and team-high eight rebounds for the garnet and white. Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) matched Harris with 11 points of his own in the first year's third start of the season.

Four players reached double-digits for Gettysburg (4-6), led by Ryan McKeon (Jr.-Landenberg, Pa.) and his 16 points.

Bates (5-7) returns north to commence NESCAC conference play on Sunday, Jan. 8 as the Bobcats visit Connecticut College in New London, Conn. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.