LEWISTON, Maine -- Led by a career-high in points from rookie Babacar Pouye, Bates men's basketball fell just short Saturday against Williams by a score of 84-69. A much closer affair than the score suggests, the two teams battled all game until Williams was able to pull ahead in the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Pouye (Carpinteria, Calif.) tallied 26 points on 11-16 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Senior captain Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine) was the facilitator for the Bobcats, with a team-high 13 assists and 10 points to secure a double-double. McCormick's 13 assists are just two shy of the program record for assists in a game. Sophomore Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) was big from beyond the arc, scoring 14 points, 12 of them from three on 50% shooting from deep. 

McCormick started off the scoring for the Bobcats with a three-pointer at the 19:44 mark in the first half. The shot came alongside an electric series of plays for Pouye, who after snatching a rebound off the glass, was able to unleash a huge slam to extend the Bobcat lead with 17:30 remaining. 

Pouye could not be stopped in the first half, almost scoring at will. He would finish the first half totaling 18 points, including two made three-pointers, four rebounds and two blocks on the defensive end. 

Bates' resilience from beyond the arc cannot be understated in this game. After a night against Middlebury where it felt like nothing could fall from three, Bates surpassed their three-point total by the 8:36 mark in the first. They finished the game making 12 threes on 31.6% shooting. 

Bates took their biggest lead of the half on a three from sophomore Brady Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) that extended the Bobcat advantage to 13 with 6:55 remaining in the half. 

The 'Cats outscored their total points from the Middlebury game in just one half against Williams, with the 41st point coming off of a pull-up jumper from Cravitz with 0:51 left on the clock to end the half with Bates leading 41-34. 

Sophomore Peter Psyhogeos (Yarmouth, Maine) got the scoring started in the second half, after the Bates zone defense swallowed up three Williams field goal attempts, with the guard making a layup through hard contact with 18:41 on the clock.

After a three-pointer from Williams' Alex Stoddard cut the lead to one, the Bobcats answered back with a three-pointer from senior Trace Gotham (Medfield, Mass.) and a huge cut and drive from Pouye to extend the lead with 14:01 left. 

Williams took their first lead since the 14:28 mark of the first half with 9:18 on the clock, forcing Bates to push the tempo on offense. Once Williams got the lead back, they did not relinquish it. The Ephs (16-5, 6-1 NESCAC) shot over 53.3% from beyond the arc, scoring 48 of their points from there, a pace that Bates (3-17, 0-6 NESCAC) could not keep up with. 

Nate Karren led the Ephs with 21 points and 10 assists. Brandon Roughley tallied 19 points and Alex Stoddard and Alex Lee scored 15 points apiece for the visitors. Williams' 16 made three-pointers was easily a season-high.

Bates returns to the court Friday at 7pm when they travel to Brunswick to take on Bowdoin in NESCAC action.