PRESQUE ISLE, Maine -- Senior forward
Stephen Ward scored a career-high 18 points and recorded his third career double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds, but the Bates men's basketball team let an early lead get away from them in an 83-69 loss to the University of Maine-Presque Isle Tuesday afternoon.
The Bobcats (2-11) got off to a fast start, taking a 20-7 lead on a fastbreak layup from senior captain
Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine) with 13:49 left in the first half. The Owls (5-7) tallied six unanswered points before sophomore
Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) drilled a three-pointer to put Bates up by 10 with 12:21 on the clock. UMPI responded with a 5-0 run, but Cravitz hit another three to extend the lead to eight at 28-20 with 9:29 remaining.
The Owls controlled the rest of the first half though, finishing on a 25-12 run to take a 45-40 halftime lead over Bates. A Saquan Carswell three-pointer with 4:30 to go in the first tied the game at 36 and a Carswell free throw with 3:43 left put UMPI ahead for good.
The Bobcats trimmed the deficit to three points multiple times in the second half, including on a three-pointer from first-year
Marc Begin II (Jacksonville, Fla.) with 5:53 left in regulation, which made the score 66-63. But that's as close as they got the rest of the way, as Bates scored just six points over the final 5:53, falling by 14 to the host Owls.
Ward (Boston) finished 9-15 from the floor to pace the Bobcats. Cravitz also turned in a strong performance with 14 points on 5-10 shooting, knocking down 4-8 from three-point range.
Dany Harris and Doug McCalla scored 19 points apiece to pace the Owls. Carswell added 13 points on 5-7 shooting.
The Owls did a good job controlling the basketball, as they only turned it over five times. The Bobcats turned the ball over 15 times and UMPI scored 14 points off turnovers, to just six for Bates. Both teams hit nine three-pointers, but the Owls were more efficient, making 9-17 from long range compared to 9-30 for the Bobcats.
Bates is back in action Friday when the Bobcats return to NESCAC action with a trip to Hamilton. Tip is set for 7pm.
