GORHAM, Maine  –  Jeff Spellman and Kody Greenhalgh combined for 32 points as the Bates College Bobcats were able to hold off a surging University of Southern Maine Huskies' squad to earn a 71-68 win in a non-conference men's basketball game Tuesday night at Hill Gymnasium.  

With the win, Bates improves to 2-1 overall.  It is the first road game and road win of the season for the Bobcats.  Southern Maine drops its second consecutive game and is now 3-3 on the season. 

Spellman was 7-for-15 from the field, while Greenhalgh came off the bench for his 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting while adding a team-high six assists to go along with four steals and four rebounds.  Stephon Baxter had 11 points and five boards, while Omar Sarr had a game-high eight rebounds and chipped in with six points. 

USM sophomore Jacobe Thomas (Houston, Texas/Davis) continued his strong offensive play leading all scorers with 34 points on 13-for-22 shooting, including a 4-for-6 mark from three-point range.  Thomas' 34 points are in the Huskies top-20 for single-game scoring records.  Freshman Cameron Wood (Winthrop, Maine) established a career-high scoring 14 points and leading the Huskies with seven rebounds.  The Huskies' 6-8 center added three blocked shots and a pair of steals. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• With the game knotted up at 23 with 4:09 to play, the Bobcats were able to take a 35-25 lead into the break, closing the half on a 12-2 run. Four different players scored in the run for Bates led by five points from Spellman and a three from Greenhalgh.  Sarr had an offensive rebound and a put-back for the final play of the half. 
• Spellman finished the first half with 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting to pace Bates.  Wood had six of his 14 to lead USM in the first half, while senior Derek Haney (Auburn, Calif./Placer) added six of his own. 
• Bates maintained its edge in the second half and led by 13, 63-50, with 6:55 following a layup from Cam Riley before the Huskies made their surge. 
• Led by 29 second-half points from Thomas, USM rallied to within a point of Bates.  Down 63-50, USM rallied on the heels of an 18-6 run over the next six minutes for a score of 69-68 with 40 seconds on the clock.  Wood and Thomas were pivotal in the run. Wood scored USM's first six points, while Thomas dropped in 10, including a three to make it a one-point game. 
• USM got the defensive play it needed on the other end and regained possession with a chance to go ahead, but Bates responded with a defensive stop of their own on a steal and a layup from Greenhalgh to seal the win. 

INSIDE THE STATS

• Southern Maine shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field compared to Bates' 40.5 percent but the Bobcats benefitted from 19 offensive rebounds and nearly 20 more offensive possessions. 
• Bates scored 25 of its points off of 22 USM turnovers.  USM scored 15 points off of 15 Bobcat miscues. 
• Thomas scored 29 of his 34 in the second half as USM outscored Bates 43-36 in the second stanza. Thomas' 34 point are in the top-20 of USM single game records.  The record is 47 held by Mike Fennessey against Plymouth State (January 16, 1992).

UP NEXT:  

         Southern Maine is off until Sunday (7:30 pm) when they travel to nearby St. Joseph's College for a non-conference game. 

–cac–