BRUNSWICK, Maine - Sarah Hughes scored a game-high 24 points to lead No. 2-seed Bates outlasted host and top-seed Bowdoin, 61-56, on Sunday before a sellout crowd Morrell Gymnasium.

Hughes, who shot 7 of 9 from the field and made 4 of 5 from beyond the arc, scored 11 of her 24 points in the fourth, including back-to-back 3-pointers that extended Bates' lead to 12, the largest margin of the game, with just over six minutes remaining.

The No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup delivered a game with eight ties and 10 lead changes with neither team able to pull away decisively until the fourth quarter. Bowdoin held the lead for much of the third quarter, at one point going up 39-35 before Bates closed the period on a 9-2 run to lead 42-39 heading into the final frame.

Elsa Daulerio added nine points, seven rebounds, and five blocks for Bates. Teammate Mya Hicks chipped in 11 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that pushed the Bobcats' lead to nine.

Grace Kinum led Bowdoin with 16 points and hauled down 10 rebounds. Abbie Quinn and Carly Davey contributed 11 and10 points, respectively, and Jamie Yue added seven points with five steals, but the Polar Bears shot just 32 percent for the game and went 7 of 24 from 3-point range.

The win avenges two regular season losses by Bates to Bowdoin and is the Bobcats' first win in six attempts against the Polar Bears in the NESCAC title game.

Bates earns the NESCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament  will learn its first round opponent on Monday with the Selection Show set for 2:30 p.m. via NCAA.com.