Paul Bunyan Invitational
at Bangor, Maine
1st Round: Bates 91, Maine-Machias 43
Championship: Bates 70, Husson 55

BANGOR, Maine -- The Bates College women's basketball team (4-2) won a pair of contests against in-state rivals this weekend en route to the tournament title in the 31st Paul Bunyan Invitational. The Bobcats demolished Maine-Machias, 91-43, in the opening round before handling the host Husson College Braves in the title game, 70-55.

Bates 91, Maine-Machias 43

Against Maine-Machias (2-2) in the opener, the Bobcats jumped out to a 14-5 lead over the first five minutes as sophomore Marcy Grossman (Eastsound, Wash.) hit three straight shots. After a 30-second timeout with 9:25 left in the half and Bates leading, 23-12, the Bobcats never looked back, going on a 17-6 run to take a 40-18 lead into the locker room. Senior co-captain Kate McLaughlin (Laconia, N.H.) had 11 points at the break, hitting five of nine shots and one free throw, while grabbing five rebounds. The Bobcats were never challenged in the second half, doubling up the Clippers, 51-25, en route to the 91-43 final. McLaughlin led all scorers with 22 points and had seven rebounds, while sophomore center Lisa Golobski (Methuen, Mass.) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Rookie Justine Ferland (Old Town, Maine) added 14 points and eight rebounds, all on the offensive glass. In all, 12 Bobcats entered the scoring column.

Bates 70, Husson 55

In the title game against Husson (4-2), Bates took an eight-point lead at halftime, 43-35, behind another hot first half by McLaughlin, who had 12 points on six-of-11 shooting and four boards. The Bobcats looked to put the Braves away with an 11-0 run over the first 3:53 of the second stanza to take a 54-35 advantage. Husson responded with five straight baskets of their own, cutting the lead to nine, 54-45, with 14 minutes remaining. The Bates defense clamped down from there, allowing just 10 Husson points the rest of the way towards the 15-point victory, 70-55. Sophomore Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine) had a game-high 22 points, hitting eight-of-19 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers. Flaherty also grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals en route to earning Tournament MVP honors. McLaughlin, who finished with 14 points and a game-high eight boards in the title game was also named to the All-Tournament team. The Bobcats forced 23 turnovers and owned a 48-41 rebounding advantage.