NESCAC Tournament First Round
Bates 77, Trinity 59
at Middletown, Conn.

NESCAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
Bates women avenge loss to Trinity, 77-59

LEWISTON, Maine — Four players scored in double figures tonight as the Bates College women's basketball team avenged one of its two regular season conference losses with a 77-59 defeat of the visiting Trinity College Bantams in the first round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament.

With just two baskets scored in the first four-and-a-half minutes of the game, tonight's contest looked to be a defensive struggle. But Bates (18-8, 8-2 NESCAC) went on a 14-4 run over the next 4:30, taking a 17-6 lead at the 11-minute mark of the contest. The Bobcats never led the lead shrink under 10 points thereafter. Bates' passing game continued to be effective as the Bobcats had assists on their first nine buckets and 14 of 16 field goals in the first stanza as they took a 39-18 lead into the locker room.

Trinity (12-12, 5-5 NESCAC) trailed by as many as 26 points at 56-30 eight minutes into the second half, but the Bantams got the lead under 20 points at 57-39 with 9:45 left in the game on an offensive rebound by senior guard McKenzie Corby (Bethel Conn.). The Bobcats pushed the lead to 20 again with 5:38 left and Trinity responded by scoring eight of the next nine points to get within 13 with 3:14 left, but it was too little too late.

Bates placed four starters in double figures, paced by junior forward Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine) with 18 points. Senior co-captain guard Kate Dockery (New York, N.Y.) had 15 points in likely her last contest in Alumni Gymnasium, while junior co-captain Lisa Golobski (Methuen, Mass.) added 13 points. Sophomore forward Lauren Dubois (Beverly, Mass.) had the Bobcats' top all-around game, posting her second double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 rebounds, a season- and team-high six assists, two steals and a block. Bates shot 50 percent from the floor (32-64) and finished with five players with four or more assists.

Trinity was led by junior center Kate McCloskey (Uxbridge, Mass.) who also recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists. First-year guard Michelle McCaffrey (W. Springfield, Mass.) was the only other Bantam player in double figures with 13 points. Senior Bridget Dullea (Longmeadow, Mass.) had a game-high seven assists as Trinity ends its season on a four-game losing streak.

Bates plays next in the NESCAC tournament semifinals at Bowdoin on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Bobcats will face No. 2 Middlebury, 67-40 winners of Wesleyan, in the hopes of avenging their other NESCAC loss of the season

Box score available