LEWISTON, Maine -- Sophomore center Elsa Daulerio turned in another superlative performance, helping lead the Bobcats on both ends of the court in the Bates women's basketball team's 59-41 win over No. 16 nationally ranked Amherst Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium. 

Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) tallied a game-high 19 points on 7-12 shooting to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. First-year Sarah Hughes (Rumson, N.J.) added 11 points on 5-6 shooting, including seven points in the fourth quarter, as Bates (14-2, 3-0 NESCAC) ran away with the win down the stretch. Senior captain Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) chipped in 10 points as three Bobcats finished in double figures scoring. Bates finished the game shooting 25-62 (40.3%) from the floor.

No one on Amherst (13-2, 2-2 NESCAC) got into double figures scoring as the Bobcats held the Mammoths to 23.1% percent shooting from the field, Amherst women's basketball's worst shooting percentage in one game since the 2012-13 season. Anna Tranum and Laura Mendell scored eight points apiece to pace the visitors.

Coming off a big win against Hamilton the night before, the Bobcats took their game to another level on Saturday, winning their third straight conference game by double digits. This marks the third time in team history Bates has started 3-0 in NESCAC play, and the first time they've won all three of those games by 10 or more points. The Bobcats' scoring margin through three NESCAC games is 21.7. The next-best scoring margin belongs to Tufts, at 8.7.

Bates shot just over 56% as a team in the first quarter, going 9-16 from the field, while Amherst was only able to shoot 25%, allowing Bates to finish the first quarter with an 18-10 lead. Amherst never led in the contest.  

Daulerio was crucial in fastbreak opportunities in the opening 10 minutes, scoring four points and setting the team up with three defensive rebounds in the first quarter to get the ball moving in transition. Bates finished the game with 12 fastbreak points, while Amherst tallied none.

Defense was the name of the game in the second quarter, with neither team able to get many shots to fall. Both teams earned several free throw opportunities, with the Bobcats shooting 3-6 and the Mammoths shooting 2-5. Both teams' struggles from the field allowed Bates to hold onto a 27-21 lead at the half. 

Sophomore Sophie Spolter (Blacklick, Ohio) was productive from the field in the first half, going 2-4 shooting, and grabbed four rebounds to help the Bates offense. She finished the game with seven points and six rebounds.

The second half was all Bates, with the Bobcats controlling the ball on both the offensive and defensive sides. After dealing with foul trouble in the first half, Hughes exploded in the second half, scoring all 11 of her points after halftime, including the only made three-pointer of the night for the entire Bates team, as she knocked down a corner three with 7:38 left in regulation, putting the Bobcats up 13 at 48-35.

Bates outscored Amherst 16-8 in the fourth quarter, for a solid bookend to the victory. 

The Bobcats tallied 12 steals on the afternoon, with senior captain Davina Kabantu (Portland, Maine) recording a game-high four steals and junior Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) netting three. Long also dished out a game-high five assists and blocked three shots. Daulerio (2.1 blocks per game) and Long (1.9 points per game) are first and second, respectively, in the NESCAC in blocked shots this season.

Bates women's basketball returns to action Tuesday when the team hits the road to face Saint Joseph's at 6pm.