Hot outside shooting propels Bates men's basketball to 82-74 win over Johnson & Wales

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Bates men's basketball team opened up a big lead in the first half and made 13-24 shots from three-point range in an 82-74 victory at Johnson & Wales Monday night. 

Senior Kody Greenhalgh (West Warwick, R.I.) returned to his home state and had another big game for the Bobcats (3-1), recording a double-double with a team-high 19 points on 6-11 shooting and a game-high 10 rebounds. He also dished out a game-high four assists and recorded a pair of steals. Greenhalgh was hot from the outside, hitting five of his nine three-point attempts.

Four Bobcats finished in double figures, with senior Jeff Spellman (Boston, Mass.) tallying 18 points on 8-15 shooting and first-year Stephon Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) notching 16 points on 5-7 shooting off the bench. Senior Tom Coyne (Falmouth, Maine) drained a pair of threes on his way to 10 points for Bates.

Brian Hogan-Gary and Justin Bullock paced the Wildcats (3-3) with 28 points each. Bullock made 10-12 shots, including 4-6 from three. JWU shot 55.6% from the field (30-54) to Bates' 48.4% (30-62) overall but the Bobcats held the advantage from outside, drilling 13 three-pointers compared to the Wildcats' six makes in 16 attempts. 

Bates fell behind 9-0 early before dominating the remainder of the opening half. Senior Nick Gilpin (Hampden, Maine) hit a three with 9:11 left, knotting the contest at 22. Gilpin hit three threes in five attempts on his way to nine points in the contest. Gilpin's first three started a 17-0 run for Bates, with Coyne giving the Bobcats the lead for good with a three of his own with 8:34 remaining. Baxter followed with a layup and back-to-back threes. Greenhalgh hit a three of his own with 5:44 left in the half to put the Bobcats up 36-22.

The Wildcats answered with a 5-0 run of their own before sophomore Andrew Snoddy (Stow, Mass.) threw down a dunk and Spellman knocked down a jumper, extending the lead to 40-27 with 3:25 to go in the half.

Spellman's jumper late in the first half gave Bates a 50-34 halftime lead.

JWU refused to back down, chipping away at the Bobcat lead in the second half. A Hogan-Gary jumper with 13:21 left in regulation cut the Bates edge to 55-50. 

The Bobcats answered with a 7-0 run, culminating in an old-fashioned three-point play from Spellman on a strong drive to the hoop with 11:50 left.

The teams continued to battle back-and-forth down the stretch, with the Wildcats edging closer and closer. With the lead down to three, Spellman picked the perfect time to hit his lone three of the night, draining a triple with 1:14 remaining in regulation, putting Bates up 74-68. It was his only attempt from outside all evening. 

The Wildcats got the lead down to four a couple times in the final minute but the Bobcats made their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Bates is back in action Thursday when the Bobcats visit Bowdoin for a 7pm tip.