LEWISTON, Maine -- The visiting Wesleyan University Cardinals did all they could to spoil No. 12 nationally ranked Bates women's basketball's Senior Day on Sunday, but junior guard Sarah Hughes didn't let that happen, scoring 10 of her season-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Bobcats to a 65-61 win at Alumni Gym. 

With the score tied at 61 and 39.5 seconds left in regulation, sophomore Lily Lambo (Watertown, Mass.) delivered an inbound pass to Hughes (Rumson, N.J.) on the baseline. Hughes had space thanks to a solid screen from senior captain Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) and she knocked down a long two to put the Bobcats up 63-61 with 37 seconds to go.

The Cardinals (6-14, 1-7 NESCAC) called time and drew up a play of their own. Olivia Quinn attempted a step-back jumper from the left wing but it rimmed off and junior Petra Kuncz (Budapest, Hungary) grabbed the rebound for Bates. She got the ball to Hughes and the Cardinals fouled Hughes with just eight seconds remaining. Hughes drained both free throws on the other end to secure the win for the Bobcats.

Bates (20-2, 7-1 NESCAC) survived a pair of superlative performances from the Cardinals. Meghan Kirck scored a career-high 29 points on 11-19 shooting for the Cardinals, tying the Wesleyan women's basketball record with seven made three-pointers in the contest in 11 attempts. Quinn added 24 points and hit 4-8 from three-point range while playing all 40 minutes.

Hughes shot 8-12 from the floor on the afternoon and was 4-5 from the field in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Lily Brown (Dallas, Texas) joined her in double figures scoring with 11 points on 4-7 shooting, hitting 3-4 from long range. Daulerio added nine points, six rebounds, five assists, and a career-high six blocked shots. Lambo also scored nine points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists. 

The Cardinals stayed in the game thanks to their outside shooting, as Wesleyan made 11-21 from three-point range, the most made-three pointers allowed by the Bobcats in a game to a Division III opponent since the 2017-18 season. They also scored 20 points off 15 Bates turnovers while the Bobcats managed just four points off seven Wesleyan turnovers. 

Bates shot the ball better overall than the Cardinals, making 48.1 percent of their shots from the floor to 36.5 percent for the Cardinals. And the Bobcats also were strong from long range, making 7-13 from beyond the arc. 

The Bobcats led by as many as 10 points when they went up 32-22 on an old-fashioned three-point play from senior Danielle Adams (Southborough, Mass.) with 4:51 left in the second quarter. But the Cardinals immediately went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two on a Kirck jumper with 3:21 left. Brown and Kirck traded threes and the Bobcats went up by seven at 40-33 on a Daulerio jumper before another Kirck bucket made the score 40-35 in favor of Bates at the half.

The third quarter was all Wesleyan, as the visitors outscored Bates 16-9. The Cardinals took their biggest lead of the game at 51-45 on an Alli Jones jumper with 1:11 left in the third. Fortunately for Bates, sophomore Abby Walsh (Evanston, Ill.) and Hughes both scored to trim the deficit to two heading into the final 10 minutes of action.

Hughes tied the game at 51 just under two minutes into the fourth quarter before Quinn gave Wesleyan their final lead of the game with a layup. Walsh immediately answered with a three and Bates led 54-53 with 7:54 left. A Daulerio free throw put Bates up by five with 2:54 to go, but the Cardinals refused to go away. A Kirck three-pointer followed by a Quinn layup tied the game at 61 with 1:15 remaining. 

The Cardinals got a stop on the defensive end, taking the ball back in a tie game with just 56 ticks on the clock. But Lambo was able to poke the ball away from Kirck and into the hands of Daulerio, setting the Bobcats up for a scoring opportunity of their own. After a Bates timeout, the Cardinals used their one foul to give, setting up Bates with an inbound pass from the baseline. That's when Lambo found Hughes for the eventual game-winning shot as the Bobcats survived a scare for their sixth straight win over the Cardinals.

Before the contest, the Bobcats honored their four seniors: Sophie Spolter (Blacklick, Ohio), team captain Ava James (Bethesda, Md.), Adams, and Daulerio.

With the victory, this year's Bates women's basketball team becomes the seventh in program history to win 20 games in one season. They are back in action on Friday when the Bobcats visit Connecticut College for a 7 p.m. tip.