Conn. College 81, Bates 64
at New London, Conn.

WALKER, HART REACH 1,000, BOBCATS FALL TO CONN, 81-64

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Bates College juniors Ed Walker (Roxbury, Mass.) and Billy Hart (Haverhill, Mass.) became the 3rd and 4th Bates College men's basketball players this season to reach the 1,000-point plateau for their careers, but the Bobcats dropped an 81-64 decision to the host Connecticut College Camels tonight.

Walker (17 points) and Hart (13 points) combined for 47 percent of the Bobcats offense. They joined senior Rommel Padonou (Libreville, Gabon) and junior Alex Wilson (Duxbury, Mass.) on the Bates 1,000-point list. Walker and Hart are also just the fifth and sixth juniors to surpass the mark at Bates.

Sophomore guard Ali Rahman (Bronx, NY) scored a career-high 17 points to lead four Conn. College players in double figures. The victory helped the Camels improve to 16-6 overall and 4-4 in the NESCAC.

After Connecticut College opened up a 15-6 lead with 12:53 remaining in the first half, Bates used a 21-12 run in the next eight minutes to tie the score at 27-27 at the 4:31 mark. The Bobcats pulled even thanks to Walker's three-point field goal. He then helped Bates (13-10, 1-7 in the NESCAC) take its first lead of the night, 30-29, on another three-pointer with 3:42 remaining in the half. Connecticut College however closed out the half on a 12-4 surge to take a 41-34 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Connecticut College lead reached double figures (48-37) on a lay up by junior guard Leland McKenna (Litchfield, CT) with 17:40 to play. McKenna sparked the Camels with nine points off the bench. Senior forward Tope Adekanbi (Hackensack, NJ) also sparked Connecticut College with 13 points and six rebounds.

Adekanbi's three-point play at the 13:24 mark extended the advantage to 59-37. Junior forward Rich Futia (Greenwich, CT) came off the bench to hit 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Camels. Rahman's career-effort for Connecticut College came on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. He also added four rebounds and four assists.

Connecticut College closes out the regular season tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. in the Charles B. Luce Field House against NESCAC rival Tufts. Bates travels to Wesleyan to take on the Cardinals.