LEWISTON — Bates shot fearlessly and effectively from long range Tuesday against the University of Maine at Farmington.
The Bobcats used the 3-ball to cruise to a 94-65 win over the Beavers in a non-conference men’s basketball game at Alumni Gymnasium. Bates made 18 of 35 from beyond the 3-point line, while UMF went 7 for 20.
Bates attacked the Beavers’ zone with UMF’s star player Terion Moss, not in the lineup.
“We knew they were going to throw a bunch of zone at us with Terion out,” Bates coach Jon Furbush said. “We tried to put our guys in position to get some open 3s, and we made them. It was a great performance by everyone.”
Grant Nadeau scored 17 points to lead the Bobcats (6-10, 0-3 NESCAC), and Elliot Cravitz added 15 points. Nadeau and Cravitz made five three-pointers apiece.
Cravitz said the victory will help the Bobcats’ confidence when they return to conference play this weekend against Tufts at home Saturday (3 p.m.).
“It’s a big win heading into NESCAC play, definitely, got everyone in. Everyone scoring and seeing the ball go through the net is really good for the team,” Cravitz said.
All 14 players who entered the game for the Bobcats recorded at least two points.
The Bobcats found their rhythm early in the game, so much so that UMF coach Sam Leal said it was difficult for the Beavers to get back into the contest.
“It was a great team that we were going up against,” Leal said. “They were clicking on our cylinders, and they shared the ball with their teammates and hit some open shots. It was a little too much to overcome when they were that red-hot from the start of the game.”
Jack Kane put up a game-high 19 points for the Beavers (10-6). He reached 1,000 career points late in the second half.
“He’s amazing; he works so hard daily to earn that,” Leal said. “It’s a tremendous career and a special moment we got to celebrate. I am so happy he was able to do it in front of so many fans and family. We are going to continue to use him as one of our go-to guys for the remainder of the season. His career is far from done.”
The teams went back and forth early, both hitting treys on their opening possessions: Cravitz gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead and then Kyle Donlin tied it for the Beavers.
Donlin scored UMF’s first eight points, but only had two more points the rest of the half. He finished the game with 17 points.
Donlin missed some time at the end of last season but has been a contributor this season by averaging 12.8 points per game.
“He’s a terrific player and just so gutsy to come back this season and perform so well this season,” Leal said. “We rely on him all the time, and he steps up to the plate game after game.”
Bates junior forward Devin Harris started the Bobcats’ first run of the opening half when he threw down a thunderous dunk that brought his teammates on the bench off their seats.
“He’s crazy athletic; I have been wanting him to attack the rim like that for a long time,” Furbush said. “He finally did and that elevated our game tremendously. It helped us guard after that. I thought we played defense like we are supposed to.”
The dunk started a 7-2 run that gave the Bobcats a 17-12 lead. Harris also had two blocks on the defensive end in the half.
The 3-ball helped Bates open a double-digit lead midway through the first half. The Bobcats hit 10 of 19 shots from behind the arc in the opening half, while the Beavers made 3 for 12.
Bates’ lead grew to as much as 22 points, but it was down to 19 points, 49-30, at halftime.
Cravitz, who had three 3s in the first half, hit two quick treys early in the second half as the Bobcats’ advantage swelled to 59-33.
“Coming out of the gates and getting those two quick ones helped,” Cravitz said. “Going back to our defense, our defensive pressure really picked up in that second half, which helped us.”
Nadeau found his stroke from behind the arc in the second half, making three 3s, including two back-to-back to help the Bobcats’ cushion expand to 72-38.
“It was great for Grant to get his confidence going heading into the weekend against Tufts,” Furbush said.
Former Lewiston High School Chiwer Mayen had a pair of big dunks in the second half for Bates. He finished with six points.
Another former Lewiston standout, David Omasombo, played key minutes for the Bobcats, scoring nine points in 28 minutes.
“He gave some great energy off the bench,” Furbush said. “He came in, he was guarding full-court, and he’s a very good shooter.”
Furbush added that Mayen also gave the team energy, and said that he liked the rebounding presence Mayen provided, pulling down four in six minutes of game action.
Leal declined to comment on Moss’ absence Tuesday. Moss is one of the NCAA Division III leading scorers, averaging 23.4 points per game.
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