Bates 58, Middlebury 57
at Lewiston, Maine

BATES WOMEN OVERCOME 12-POINT DEFICIT TO DEFEAT MIDDLEBURY, 58-57

LEWISTON, Maine — Sophomore forward Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine) hit one of two free throws with 3.3 seconds on the clock as the host Bates College Bobcats overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 9:27 of play to defeat the visiting Middlebury College Panthers in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball action from Alumni Gym tonight.

Bates (14-7, 4-2 NESCAC) trailed by 10 points, 52-42, with 7:12 left in the game. The Bobcats scored the next 11 points to take their first lead of the contest, 53-52, on a pull-up jumper by junior guard Kate Dockery (New York, N.Y.).

Middlebury (14-6, 3-4) went back up by three, 56-53, after sophomore Kristin Hanley (Seattle, Wash.) hit a field goal and rookie Kate Shillo (Bloomfield, Conn.) dropped a pair of free throws with 1:45 on the clock. Bates senior Kate McLaughlin (Laconia, N.H.) hit a fade away jumper to cut the deficit back to one, but Hanley hit one of two free throws to give the Panthers a 57-55 lead with 1:14 on the clock.

Two possessions later, Dockery fouled Middlebury junior Kate McCosker (Lafayette, Calif.) with 17 ticks remaining. McCosker missed both shots and McLaughlin drew a foul grabbing a rebound on the second. She hit both shots to even the game. The Panthers brought the ball down to try to reclaim the lead and Hanley fouled Flaherty as both dived for a loose ball, setting up the game-winning free throw.

Dockery led the Bobcats with 19 points, while Flaherty and senior Katy Dutille (Lebanon, N.H.) each added 11. Dutille also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. The Bobcats outshot Middlebury from the line, 70.8 percent (17-24) to 55.6 percent (10-18). The Panthers entered the game as top free-throw shooting team in the NESCAC at 74.2 percent.

For Middlebury, Hanley led all scorers with 21 points, while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. The Panthers shot just 28.6 percent from the floor (8-28) in the second half, after hitting 41.2 percent in the first (14-34).

Full box score