LEWISTON, Maine -- In spite of three turnovers during the final 29 seconds, Bates College made just enough plays to register a 60-57 women's basketball victory over the University of New England on Monday night (Nov. 28) at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Bobcats led by as many as eight (53-45) midway through the 4th quarter, but a basket by Ashley Coneys pulled the Nor'easters back to 55-53 with 2:31 remaining. Bernadette Connors for Bates and Sadie Nelson for UNE traded hoops, and following empty trips each way, Allie Coppola put the hosts up 59-55 with 48 ticks left.

It wasn't until 0:14 on the clock that that Big Blue cut the deficit in half (59-57) on two Sam MacDonald free throws. Both sides lost possession with their next opportunity, forcing UNE to foul -- the Nor'easters had entered the last minute of the period without any on the board. Coppola made her second try for Bates with 4.4 seconds showing to extend the lead, and the visitors could not get off a tying attempt before the buzzer sounded.

Nina Davenport led all players in both points and rebounds, going for 22 and 13. Connors posted 14 points and seven boards, while Emily Freedland scored 11 --which included eight in the 1st frame. Coppola totaled nine points for the Bobcats (2-1), who shot 43 percent from the field to overcome 22 turnovers.

UNE (3-2) received a 14-point, six-rebound, three-block performance out of Alicia Brown. Coneys had 11 points and MacDonald added 10 to go with four steals. Nelson's 10 helped the visiting bench out-score the reserves of the opponent by a 17-2 margin.

While only coughing the ball up eight times, the Nor'easters struggled to find the shooting range all evening, connecting at a 32 percent clip overall and 17 percent from long distance.

Bates never trailed after Coppola made it 5-4 early in the 1st, and the advantage reached eight (22-14) in the 2nd. UNE managed to draw even at 24-all, but the spread was four in favor of the Bobcats through 20 minutes of action.

The Nor'easters will play their Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.) at Wentworth Institute of Technology.