CASTINE, Maine -- Three Bobcats finished in double figures scoring and the Bates men's basketball team won their third straight game with a 63-58 victory over Maine Maritime Academy Tuesday night at Smith Gymnasium.
Sophomore
Marc Begin II (Carlsbad, Calif.) paced the Bobcats (10-8) with 15 points on 5-15 shooting, knocking down 4-8 from three-point range on the night. Junior
Peter Psyhogeos (Yarmouth, Maine) added 14 points on 7-16 shooting, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and dishing out a team-high four assists along the way. Junior captain
Elliott Cravitz (Denver, Colo.) was his usual self from long range, hitting 4-7 from beyond the arch on his way to 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Bates led the Mariners (11-6) almost the entire game, taking a 5-3 lead on a three-pointer from first-year
Keenan Sparks (York, Maine) with 17:07 left in the first half. Begin II and sophomore
Cole Decker (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) followed with three-pointers of their own and the Bobcats led 11-3 with 12:12 left until halftime.
MMA pulled to within two points at 15-13 on a Gabe Hagar three-pointer with 9:51 to go in the first half, but the Bobcats answered with a 7-0 run to go back up by nine on a Cravitz three-pointer with 7:09 to go until the intermission. The two teams were evenly matched for the rest of the half, as the Bobcats took a 32-23 lead into the locker room.
The Mariners chipped away at the Bates lead in the second half, cutting the score to 55-51 on a Markus Ramirez three-pointer with 7:28 remaining in regulation. Begin II answered with an old-fashioned three-point play, and a Psyhogeos jumper extended the lead back to nine on a jumper with 3:31 left.
Maine Maritime Academy got the Bates lead back to four at 62-58 on a Jack Banks dunk with 1:58 left, but the Bobcats shut down the hosts for the rest of the game, holding on for a five-point win, their fourth victory in their last six tries against the Mariners.
Bates made 11-29 from three-point range while holding MMA to just 6-25 from long distance.
Curt Heinz paced the hosts with 19 points on 8-14 shooting, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.
The Bobcats are back in action Friday at Williams when they return to NESCAC action with a 7 p.m. tip against the Ephs.
