Courtesy Bowdoin Sports Information

Box Score

BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bates College men's basketball team had five players in double figures, taking an 87-52 win over Bowdoin College in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday. The Bobcats (18-7) advance to play top-seeded and number-one Williams, while Amherst will face Trinity in the other semifinal game. Bowdoin ends their season with a mark of 16-9.

The squads traded jumpers early in the contest before a Jon Farmer three-pointer deadlocked the contest for Bowdoin at 7-7. After a turnover by Zak Ray, Kyle Petrie finished off a fast break with a one-handed dunk to give the Polar Bears a 9-7 advantage five minutes into the game. But that would be the last lead for Bowdoin, as Bates began to take control of the game.

A jumper by Matt Chumodel was followed by a pair of trifectas from Brian Gerrity to give Bates a four-point edge. T.J. McLeod answered with a pair of free throws to cut the Bobcats lead to a single point at 11:28, but the Bobcats ripped off an 18-2 run to take a 37-16 lead with exactly four minutes left in the half. Rob Stockwell was crucial in the run, scoring nine points in the decisive streak. Bates extended the lead to 25 points on a three-pointer from Ramon Garcia shortly before intermission to lead 45-20 at the break.

Bates would extend their lead to as many as 43 points in the second half, before taking the 87-52 final. Gerrity connected on five-of-ten from three-point range to score 21 points and seven assists, while Rob Stockwell added 16 points and seven rebounds. Jon Furbush (14 points, seven boards), Ramon Garcia (12 points) and Zak Ray (11 points, nine boards) also reached double-digits for the Bobcats. Bowdoin was led by 17 points from Kyle Petrie, while T.J. McLeod added 13 points.