December 22-December 29, 1996

• Men's Basketball
  

Men's Basketball (0-5) Drops Two Close Games

Despite 58 points and 16 rebounds in two games from senior guard Matt Garvey (Amherst, Mass.), the men's basketball team lost both their games in the Western Connecticut State University Alumni Classic. The Bobats lost the opener to Jersey City State College, 80-77, and the consolation game against Keene State College, 79-71.

In the opener against Jersey City State, the Bobcats played one of their best games of the season. The biggest lead of the first half was the Bobcats' 37-31 advantage with 33 second to go, but the Gothic Knights scored five unanswered points before halftime, including a 3-pointer with nine seconds left. Senior forward Mike Marsh (Manchester, Conn.) led Bates with eight points and four rebounds at the break.

The Bobcats scored five of the first seven points of the second half, with a pair of Marsh free throws giving them a 43-38 lead with just under three minutes gone in the half. The Knights outscored the Bobcats 15-5 over the next seven minutes, answering a Garvey 3-pointer with one of their own to take a 47-46 lead with 14:19 left, a lead they would not relinquish. Jersey City's lead grew to as large as nine in the second half, but Garvey's long distance shooting and stretches of poor free-throw shooting from the Knights enabled Bates to climb back into the game. The Bobcats cut the defecit to two on a Garvey three-pointer with 1:15 left, and first-year guard Ryan Emerson (Milford, N.H.) answered Jersey City's next hoop with two free throws with 52.8 seconds left. Leading 79-77, Jersey City turned the ball over with 21 seconds to go, but Garvey's shot rattled around and did not drop. The Bobcats had the ball again with 3.5 seconds remaining, but Marsh's shot from 35 feet away hit the backboard and glanced off the rim before falling wide. Garvey led the Bobcats with 23 points and seven assists, while Marsh and sophomore center Andy Hall (Forestdale, Mass.) each had seven rebounds.

In a consolation game that featured a pair of winless teams, the Bobcats jumped out to an 11-2 lead, holding Keene State without a field goal for the first six minutes. Once the Owls got on the board, they scored 16 of the next 20 points to take an 18-15 lead with 7:14 remaining in the half. Emerson, Marsh and sophomore guard Garth Timoll (Owings Mills, Md.) scored the next five points for the Bobcats to give them a 20-18 advantage. Down by two points, Keene State hit a three-pointer with one minute to go to take a 30-29 halftime lead, despite 26.3-percent shooting from the floor. Keene State opened the second half with a 13-3 run to take a 43-32 lead, but Emerson scored the next five points while Garvey nailed a pair of three-pointers to cut the Bobcats' defecit to 46-43 with 13:30 remaining. Garvey then managed to slice the Owl lead to 50-49 at the 9:41 mark after a pair of mid-range jumpers. The Owls answered Bates' rally, hitting 13 of 16 foul shots down the stretch to thwart the Bobcats' run at their first win. Garvey led Bates with 33 points and a career high 11 rebounds, but Emerson was the only other Bobcat in double figures with 12 points. Bates missed Marsh, whose foul trouble limited him to just 19 minutes before fouling out with 8:12 to go in the game. The Bobcats were also hurt by turnovers, committing 21 to the Owls' 11.

Garvey's 28 points and six rebounds per game earned him all-tournament team honors. He is now six points behind Sean McDonagh '92 for third on Bates' all-time scoring list and can move into second, past Howie Alexander '68, with 11 points in the Bobcats' first game of 1997, Jan. 8 at Colby. The Bobcats' 0-5 start is their worst since 1985-86, when they lost six in a row to open the season.

Up next:

1/7 at Colby