LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates men's basketball pulled away in the second half Sunday afternoon, defeating Middlebury 89–71 as the Bobcats improve to a perfect 9-0 in Alumni Gym.
Neither team led by more than five points at any point during the first half as the stanza featured five ties and two lead changes before Bates pulled ahead late. Middlebury held a 23–18 edge midway through the period (9:03), but the home team answered with a 23–13 run to take its first multi-possession lead with 1:46 left before the break. The Bobcats closed the half on a 5–0 spurt to carry a five-point cushion into intermission and never looked back.
Bates (16-4, 4-2 NESCAC) seized control early in the second half.
Elliott Cravitz opened the period with a three (19:30), and
Babacar Pouye followed with back-to-back triples as part of a 9–0 run that stretched the lead to 50–36 just over two minutes in (18:25). The Bobcats continued to build separation, pushing the margin to 18 points at 59–41 on a Pouye layup at the 12:48 mark.
Middlebury (7-12, 1-5 NESCAC) cut the deficit to single digits with just over five minutes remaining (71-62), courtesy of a 21-12 surge, but Bates responded again from beyond the arc.
Brady Coyne knocked down a three at 4:27,
Peter Psyhogeos (11 points)
connected from deep at 3:43, and the Bobcats never let the lead drop below double figures the rest of the way.
Pouye led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including a career-best 5-of-7 from three-point range. Coyne added 16 points (three three-pointers), while
Cole Decker chipped in 16 off the bench, hitting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Bates finished 16-of-33 from three-point range (48.5 percent) and went 19-of-23 at the free-throw line.
Sean O'Leary and
Jamari Robinson combined for 11 assists, dishing six and five, respectively.
Three Panthers recorded double-digit points, led by Jackson McKersie's double-double performance of 16 points and 11 boards.
The garnet and white will see its next action on the road as the Bobcats travel to No. 2 Trinity this Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
