Wesleyan 77, Bates 74
at Lewiston, Maine

COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN SEASON FINALE
Wesleyan takes 77-74 decision

LEWISTON, Maine — Bates and Wesleyan faced four ties and four lead changes in the second half, but the Cardinals rode senior Leo Jones to a 77-74 NESCAC victory in Alumni Gym today.

Jones, who became Wesleyan's (14-9, 4-5 NESCAC) all-time leading scorer early in the first half, scored a game-high 29 points on nine-of-16 shooting from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free throw line. He scored 14 points in the first half to lead the Cardinals to a 38-29 advantage at the break.

Bates (13-11, 1-8 NESCAC) opened the second half on a 14-4 run over the first six minutes of the second stanza, taking their first lead since 10:43 of the first when junior Angelo Salvaggio (Portland, Maine) hit a traditional 3-point play to put the Bobcats up, 43-42. Senior Alex Wilson (Duxbury, Mass.) hit the game's next bucket to give Bates its biggest lead of the second half at 45-42. Wesleyan responded with an 18-8 run over the next six minute span to take a 60-53 lead with 7:17 left when Jones hit a field goal during a stretch when he scored eight consecutive Cardinal points. Bates cut the lead to one twice in the final two minutes of the contest, but the Bobcats could not complete the comeback.

Bates junior C.J. Neely (No. Easton, Mass.) led the Bobcats with 20 points, hitting 12-of-13 free throws. Wilson added 18 points and 10 rebounds. He ends his career third on the Bobcats' all-time scoring list with 1,523 points. Classmate Ed Walker (Roxbury, Mass.) also playing in his final contest, had 12 points and three steals, while senior Billy Hart (Haverhill, Mass.) had five points in his last game.

In addition to Jones' 29 points, Keala Mills had 15 points for the Cardinals, while sophomore Kanem Johnson added 14 on seven-of-10 shooting and four blocks. Cardinal guard Chad Gordon grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.