Bates 64, Williams 53
at Lewiston, Maine

BATES ADVANCES TO NESCAC SEMIS
WITH 64-53 WIN OVER WILLIAMS
McLaughlin nets 20 in 20 minutes

LEWISTON, Maine — Bates College senior Kate McLaughlin (Laconia, N.H.) scored 20 points in 20 minutes of action the fourth-seeded Bobcats downed fifth-seeded Williams College, 64-53, in Alumni Gymnasium tonight.

The Bobcats (18-7, 8-2 NESCAC) jumped out to a 16-5 lead midway through the first half before Williams (12-13, 4-6 NESCAC) stormed back. The Ephs took a 33-27 advantage into the locker room despite shooting 23 percent from the field thanks to a 37-21 rebounding edge and a 14-3 scoring margin from the free throw line. Senior guard Liz Tilley (Queens, N.Y.) led the Ephs with eight points and 10 rebounds at the break.

Bates opened the second stanza on a another big run, outscoring Williams 16-3 over the first eight minutes to take a 43-37 lead with eight minutes gone. The Ephs made a couple more runs, but could not get over the hump, as Bates held Williams below 30 percent shooting for the third time in four halves of play this season and closed the rebound margin with a 30-20 advantage.

McLaughlin led all scorers with 20 points on nine-of-18 shooting, while sophomore center Lisa Golobski (Methuen, Mass.) added a season-high 15 points off the bench. Both players along with rookie Lauren Dubois (Beverly, Mass.) had eight rebounds to lead the Bobcats.

Tilley recorded 16 points to lead Williams, while grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. Sophomore Kate Stumpo (Walpole, Mass.) was the only other Eph in double figures with 12 points, while sophomore Amy Geant (Scarborough, Maine) also grabbed 10 rebounds, all in the first half.

Bates will travel to top-seeded Amherst for the first NESCAC semifinal at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23. No. 2 Colby defeated Tufts, 65-54, and No. 3 Bowdoin topped Middlebury, 58-47, in today's other first-round action. Those two will face off for the third time this season in the other NESCAC semifinal at 8 p.m. A preview of both semifinal matchups is available courtesy Amherst College.

Full box score