LEWISTON, Maine -- Three Bobcats finished in double figures scoring and the No. 13 nationally ranked Bates women's basketball team never trailed in a 63-54 win over No. 19 Amherst Friday night in the NESCAC opener for both teams. 

Bates (12-1, 1-0 NESCAC) got a game-high 13 points from senior captain Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine), 12 points on 4-8 shooting from junior Sarah Hughes (Rumson, N.J.), and 10 points on 2-2 shooting from sophomore Gabby Bellacqua (West Newbury, Mass.) in the victory. Annie McCarthy tallied 11 points on 4-13 shooting to pace the Mammoths (9-3, 0-1 NESCAC) on the evening 

With the score tied at seven, Daulerio hit a jumper with 5:12 left in the first quarter to give Bates the lead for good. Bates led 11-9 when sophomores Lily Brown (Dallas, Texas) and Abby Walsh (Evanston, Ill.) provided instant offense off the bench, with Brown hitting a three and a long two with a Walsh jumper sandwiched in-between as the Bobcats took an 18-13 lead into the second quarter.

Hughes and Bellacqua scored six points apiece and did not miss a shot to pace the Bobcats in the second quarter, as Bates once again outscored the Mammoths 18-13. 

The Mammoths pulled to within two on a Reagan Pahl jumper with seven minutes remaining until halftime but the Bobcats answered with a 10-0 run, capped off by a Bellacqua layup with 3:13 remaining.

Up 36-26 at halftime, Bates pushed the lead to 50-37 by the time the third quarter ended. Bellacqua added four more points to lead the way. She was lights out from the line on the night, making 6-6 from the stripe. Junior Mya Hicks (Ann Arbor, Mich.) also made clutch free throws throughout the game, going 5-6 as Bates made 17-22 as a team. 

The Mammoths tried to rally in the fourth quarter, twice cutting the deficit to eight. But it was too little, too late, as the Bobcats defeated Amherst for the third straight time at Alumni Gym.

Bates won the turnover battle, 13 to 16. They tallied 13 points off turnovers to just eight for Amherst. They out-rebounded the Mammoths 37-32, as Daulerio tallied a team-high six boards. Daulerio also blocked two shots and dished out three assists. Hughes finished with four rebounds and a game-high four assists. 

McCarthy was the only Mammoth to finish in double figures scoring. Olivia Soenens and Reagan Pahl both chipped in eight points off the bench.

The Bobcats are back in action this Sunday when they host Hamilton at 1 p.m.