Bates 87, Williams 83
at Lewiston, Maine

BATES MEN SHOCK NO. 24 WILLIAMS, 87-83
Wilson, Walker lead Bobcats to first win over Ephs since '81-82

LEWISTON, Maine — Bates College seniors Alex Wilson (Duxbury, Mass.) and Ed Walker (Roxbury, Mass.) combined for 37 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as the host Bobcats shocked New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) co-leader and No. 24 in the nation Williams, 87-83, in Alumni Gymnasium today.

Bates (13-9, 1-6) picked up its first win over Williams in 20 years with one of its strongest second halves of the season. The Bobcats trailed, 53-50, at the intermission, but they went on a 9-2 run to open the second half, holding the Ephs without a field goal over the first 6:48 of the period. Bates never trailed again. Williams climbed to within one at 62-61 with 11:33 left in the contest on a 3-pointer by rookie Tucker Kain (Waite Hill, Ohio), but Walker answered with consecutive trifectas of his own, essentially icing the game from there.

Williams (18-4, 6-2 NESCAC) led by as many as four points in a first half that featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties. The Ephs closed the stanza on a 10-2 run that turned a 48-43 Bobcat advantage into the 53-50 intermission lead. Sophomore Mike Crotty (Belmont, Mass.) led all scorers in the first half with 15 points on five-of-seven shooting from 3-point range, but the Bobcats held him to just one trifecta in the second.

Wilson led all scorers with 19 points, hitting six-of-15 from the floor and six-of-seven from the line. He also tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds. Walker scored 18 points by hitting all four of his 3-point attempts, and added a team-high five assists. Sophomore Brian Gerrity (Manchester, Maine) had 15 points with four long-range bombs of his own, while junior C.J. Neely (No. Easton, Mass.) added 13 points. The Bobcats outshot Williams 53.6 percent to 40.0 from the floor, including holding the Ephs to 28.9 percent in the second half.

Williams was paced by Crotty's 18 points and game-high seven assists. Junior Tim Folan (Kensington, Md.) added 15 points, while sophomore Ben Coffin (Westford, Mass.) had 11 points and matched Wilson's game-high nine rebounds. The Ephs owned a 45-29 advantage on the boards, including 21-6 on the offensive glass. Williams sees its four-game overall winning streak snapped, as well as its 15-game streak over the Bobcats that dated to 1981-82.