MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- First-year Sarah Hughes scored a career-high 19 points, a pair of Bobcats recorded double-doubles, and the No. 25 nationally ranked Bates women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a 65-54 victory at Middlebury Friday night in NESCAC action.

The Bobcats (17-2, 5-0 NESCAC) jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back. Middlebury (12-7, 4-2 NESCAC) cut the Bates edge to four with 6:39 left in regulation, but that's as close as the hosts got down the stretch. 

Hughes (Rumson, N.J.) was on fire in the first half for the Bobcats, knocking down 4-5 from long range to start the game. She finished 6-9 from the floor, with a career-high five made three-pointers in seven attempts. She also grabbed seven rebounds on the evening. Senior captain Davina Kabantu (Portland, Maine) tallied her second double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, sophomore Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) also finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the campaign. Daulerio chipped in three steals on the defensive end.

Senior captain Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 12 points and three rebounds as four Bobcats finished in double figures scoring. Junior Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) contributed eight points and a game-high six assists, making the offense go, as the Bobcats scored 20 fastbreak points to Middlebury's four. 

With the score 51-47 in favor of Bates and 6:10 left in the fourth quarter, Kabantu delivered an in-bounds pass from the baseline to Kennedy in the left wing. The senior captain connection led to a long two from Kennedy, and the Bobcats went up 53-47. Middlebury's Alexa Mustafaj missed a layup on the other end and Long pushed the ball in transition, finding Daulerio for the open 15-footer and extending the lead to 55-47. 

Calie Messina answered for the Panthers with 3:57 to go, trimming the Bates lead back to six. Hughes, who scored 14 points in the first half, picked the perfect time to get her first bucket of the second half, drilling a three from the left wing on an assist from Long as the shot clock expired to make the score 58-49 with 3:28 remaining.

Bates iced the game from the free throw line after that, securing a key conference victory. 

Mustafaj led all scorers with 21 points, but the Bobcats held her to just 8-25 shooting, including 1-6 from three-point range. Messina added 12 points for Middlebury and Augusta Dixon recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Bobcats shot 40 percent from the floor and held Middlebury to 35% shooting. Bates started the game on fire, hitting 9-16 shots in the first quarter for an early 21-10 lead. The Bobcats led by as many as 17 points in the first half and held a 36-21 advantage at the half. A big third quarter for the Panthers saw them get back into the game, but the Bobcats held them off for their eighth straight win.

Bates looks to keep the momentum going Saturday afternoon when they visit Williams for a 3pm tip.