New London, Conn.– Connecticut College used a strong second-half surge to secure a 56-46 victory over Bates at Luce Field House on Friday night. The Camels (13-11, 5-5 NESCAC) capitalized on timely scoring runs and defensive pressure to hold off the Bobcats (10-13, 1-8 NESCAC), who struggled to find consistency on the offensive end.
The first half was tightly contested, with both teams exchanging leads early. Connecticut College jumped out to a quick 7-0 start behind a three-pointer from Cameron Lewis at 19:34 and a layup by Cam Schainfeld at 18:56. Bates responded with a 10-1 run, highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from Brady Coyne at 15:38 and 14:55, who was nearly unstoppable in the opening frame, scoring 17 of the Bobcats' 23 first-half points.
After Coyne's offensive explosion, the Camels countered with a 10-3 run, fueled by Elias Espinosa's perimeter shooting at 13:11 and Andrew Hartel's inside presence at 10:03. A layup by Espinosa in the final seconds gave Connecticut College a slim 25-23 advantage heading into halftime.
The Camels began the second half with a 6-0 burst, extending their lead to 31-23 within the first four minutes. Bates momentarily halted the run with a layup from Babacar Pouye, but Connecticut College maintained control, consistently answering with key baskets. Espinosa and Schainfeld combined for crucial mid-range jumpers, while Hartel continued to dominate the glass.
The decisive moment came at 8:43 when RJ Casey drilled a three-pointer to give the Camels their largest lead at 46-33. Bates attempted a late comeback behind Elliott Cravitz's back-to-back three-pointers at 2:31 and 2:05, cutting the deficit to 51-44 with just over two minutes remaining. However, Espinosa struck again from deep, and Casey added a fast-break layup to seal the win for Connecticut College.
Bates shot just 30.9% from the field, including 27.6% in the second half. The Bobcats won the rebounding margin at 41-34, and snared 12 offensive boards, but managed only five second-chance opportunities. Connecticut College forced 13 Bates turnovers, converting them into 16 points.
Coyne paced the garnet and white with a double-double performance of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Pouye provided seven points and seven rebounds for the road team.
The Bobcats look to end the season on a high note as Bates closes out the 2024-25 campaign Saturday (5:00 p.m.) at Tufts.
