STANDISH, Maine – Junior guard Stephon Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to help lift Bates College (1-1) past Saint Joseph's College (1-2), 71-68, in a non-conference men's basketball game at the Harold Alfond Center on Monday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks, who led for most of the night, held a 10-point advantage (66-56) after senior guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) hit a pair of free throws with 4:33 remaining, but the SJC offense struggled to put the game away and went 0-for-8 from the floor with two turnovers in the final four minutes.
This unfortunate cold streak opened the door for the Bobcats to claw back into contention, and the visitors took advantage by scoring 12 unanswered points to claim their first lead of the second stanza. Sophomore guard Simon McCormick (Whitefield, Maine) knocked down a three from the right side baseline to cap the run with Bates on top, 68-66, with 32 seconds left.
St. Joe's knotted the game at 68-apiece on the following trip down the floor, as junior forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) was fouled and hit both free throws with 25 seconds to play. Bates Head Coach Jon Furbush called a timeout and the Bobcats left the huddle with a strategy to stall for the final shot, which Baxter hit for the clincher.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Contributions from the bench proved to be the difference in tonight's contest, as Bates saw four bench players combine for 31 points while St. Joe's received 14 total points from three non-starters.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Curtis paced the Monks with 18 points and added four rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists
- Junior forward Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine) notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds and also dealt four assists
- Senior guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) netted 16 points with four rebounds
- Freshman Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) tallied 12 points and six boards
LEADERS – BATES:
- Baxter led all players with 25 points and added two rebounds and two assists
- McCormick came off the bench to score 12 points with three boards
- Sophomore forward Devin Harris (Bear, Del.) registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 caroms in 20 minutes off the bench
- Freshman guard Taras Fesiienko (Everett, Wash.) contributed five points, eight rebounds, and seven assists
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the setback, Saint Joseph's falls to 10-16 all-time versus Bates College.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at University of New England on Thursday at 7:30 PM.
