Bates outlasts Hamilton, 53-45

Molly Brown '15 scored a game-high 15 points off the bench and led Bates College to a 53-45 win against Hamilton College in a NESCAC game at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Feb. 12.

Bates (10-13 overall, 3-7 NESCAC) has one non-conference game remaining at the University of Maine-Presque Isle on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The Continentals finish the season with an overall record of 8-15, and 1-9 in the conference. Hamilton lost its last five games.

Brown was the lone Bobcat that scored in double figures. Lauren Dobish '12 chipped in nine points and five assists. Allaina Murphy '15 -- another reserve -- added nine points and a game-high nine rebounds. Annie Burns '12 was credited with three steals.

Eliza Howe '13 paced the Continentals with 14 points and three assists. Kim Goidell '13 posted 12 points, seven rebounds and three helpers. Dani Feigin '14 dropped in eight points and Adrianna Pulford '15 made three steals.

Hamilton's early 7-2 lead was the largest for either team in the first half. The teams battled through six ties and seven lead changes in the first 20 minutes. Pulford's layup with 39 seconds left gave the Continentals a 24-22 lead at the break. Brown had 10 of Bates' 22 points in the half.

Howe opened the second half with a traditional three-point play to give Hamilton a 27-22 advantage. Bates responded with a 13-0 run and led the rest of the afternoon. Dobish nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, Murphy made a layup and Burns drained another 3-pointer. Brown canned a jumper for a 35-27 lead with 13:51 left.

The Bobcats' lead grew to 12 points at 41-29 with 12:22 remaining when the Continentals tried to rally with a 10-0 spurt. Claire Hunsinger '13 made 1 of 2 free throws, Feigin sank a jumper and a 3-pointer, Howe swished a jumper and Pulford made a driving layup to pull Hamilton within 41-39 with 8:35 left.

Dobish dropped in her third 3-pointer of the half on Bates' next possession for a 44-39 lead, and the Continentals didn't get within five points the rest of the way. The Bobcats were 4-for-10 from beyond the arc in the second half, while Hamilton was 1-for-8 from long range in the final 20 minutes.

Both teams shot 34.6 percent from the field. The Continentals committed 21 turnovers. Bates leads the all-time series 6-1 as this was the first meeting between the programs since 1999-2000.