Down 33-29 at the break, the Bobcats took their first lead at the 15:20 mark in the second half. Brian Gerrity 05 (Augusta, Maine) drained a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game, 38-38, and Zak Ray 07 (Bangor, Maine) stole the inbounds pass, driving the lane and connecting on a finger-roll layup to put Bates up by two.
The Mules (9-4, 0-2 NESCAC) converted on their next possession, a Drew Cohen 07 (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) layup from the right block. Bates, however, went on an 8-0 run and led the rest of the game.
Gerrity finished with a game-high 21 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. He also swished a big 3-pointer down the stretch, connecting from three feet beyond the arc with 1:13 remaining. That shot extended Bates lead to eight and forced the Mules to foul in the closing seconds.
Bates (11-4, 2-0 NESCAC) was 8-for-11 from the charity stripe in the final minute of play.
Three other Bates players finished in double-digits: Jon Furbush 05 (Portland, Maine) scored 16 with a team-high five assists; Rob Stockwell 07 (Temple, N.H.) had 13 with nine rebounds, while Elliott Linsley 05 (Murrieta, Calif.) scored 10. Ray finished with six points, four assists and three steals.
Pat McGowan 05 (North Attleboro, Mass.) led Colby with a team-high 18 points and seven boards. Cohen scored 12 and grabbed eight boards, while Andrew Jenkins 06 (Gorham, Maine) scored 11.