Bates 75, Southern Maine 58
at Lewiston, Maine

BATES MEN'S BASKETBALL DOWNS SOUTHERN MAINE, 75-58

LEWISTON, Maine Ð The Bates College men's basketball team overcame a two-point halftime deficit to extend its winning streak to six games tonight, defeating the University of Southern Maine, 75-58.

The Bobcats' (8-3) streak, their longest since the 1991-92 season, looked to be in jeopardy after Bates shot just 28 percent from the field in the first stanza. Southern Maine (4-9) took a 27-25 lead into the break. But Bates opened the second half on a 21-10 run that put them up 46-37 six and a half minutes in. The Huskies' Jason St. Pierre (Bangor, Maine) hit seven straight points, including a 3-pointer and a 4-point play to get USM back into the contest, 49-47, at the 11:48 mark. Bates held Southern Maine scoreless for the next five minutes as they took a 56-47 lead on a bucket by senior Rommel Padonou (Libreville, Gabon) and never looked back.

For Bates, junior forward Alex Wilson (Duxbury, Mass.) led all scorers with a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds, while Padonou (18 points, 10 rebounds and junior Ed Walker (Roxbury, Mass., 16 points, 10 rebounds) each contributed double-doubles. The Bobcats shot 51.4 percent in the second half (19-37), outscoring USM, 50-31.

Southern Maine was led by guard Wade Millett (East Waterboro, Maine), who had 15 points on five-of-10 from 3-point range, while St. Pierre contributed 12. Sophomore Ryan Thomas (Hampden, Maine) led USM with seven rebounds.