Connecticut College 85, Bates 71
at Lewiston, Maine

BALANCED ATTACK LEADS NO. 12 CONN. COLLEGE MEN PAST BATES, 85-71

LEWISTON, Maine -- The Connecticut College men's basketball team placed six players in double figures as the No. 12 Camels picked up a road NESCAC victory over the host Bates College Bobcats, 85-71, in Alumni Gym.

The first half of the contest featured nine ties and two lead changes. After the Camels (16-3, 5-1 NESCAC) jumped out to a seven-point lead, 13-6 six minutes into the game, Bates roared back. The Bobcats (6-13, 1-3) scored the next 10 points, including a pair of trifectas from sophomore guard Billy Hart (Haverhill, Mass.), to give them a 16-13 lead. Another Hart bomb gave Bates their biggest lead of the night, 25-21, with 8:41 left in the half. Connecticut College went up five on a 3-pointer of their own from junior captain Kareem Tatum (Worcester, Mass.) four minutes later and ended up taking a 38-36 lead into the locker room.

The teams battled back and forth in the second half, with Bates taking their latest lead of the game, 50-48, with 13:47 remaining on a dunk by junior forward Rommel Padonou (Libreville, Gabon). Conn. College junior guard Aaron Taylor (Hackensack, N.J.) gave the Camels the lead back on a 3-pointer, but a Padonou free throw tied the game at 51 with 12:48 to go. Jason Ashur (Northeast Harbor, Maine) hit a 3-pointer moments later, and the Camels never looked back, hitting 12 of their final 16 shots to take the game.

Bates' Hart led all scorers with 20 points, including six of 12 from 3 point range, while Padonou had 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomores Alex Wilson (Duxbury, Mass.) and Ed Walker (Roxbury, Mass.) each had 11 points for the Bobcats, with Walker also collecting a career-high 10 assists.

Ashur led Connecticut College with 16 points, 13 coming in the second half. He had a perfect shooting night from the floor, canning all six shots, including four 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Mizan Ayers (Bronx, N.Y.) had 15 points and four steals, while Tatum and Taylor each had 12. Sophomore Rich Futia (Greenwich, Conn.) had 11 points and first-year Ali Rahman (Bronx, N.Y.) had 10 to round out the Camel's half-dozen in double figures.

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