LEWISTON, Maine -- Sophomore Elsa Daulerio tallied 20 points and a career-high 20 rebounds to lead the Bates women's basketball team past a tough group from Brooklyn College by a final score of 66-51 in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night at Alumni Gym. 

Hosting their first NCAA tournament game since 2005, Bates (23-5) got off to a hot start before having to hang on against a relentless Brooklyn team that made life difficult all night for the hosts with their high-pressure zone defense.

The Bobcats never trailed in the contest, leading 17-5 after the first quarter. But the Bulldogs (18-9) turned the game on its head in the second quarter, outscoring Bates 17-8. 

With Bates up 19-7, Brooklyn went on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 19-18 with 4:14 left until halftime on a jumper from Ericka James. Daulerio had the answer though, as junior Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) hit her in transition with a perfect pass and Daulerio finished at the rim in transition, drawing the foul for an old-fashioned three-point play.

The Bulldogs cut the lead to one against at 22-21 before a free throw from senior Alyson Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and a Daulerio jumper extended the lead to 25-21. A free throw from the visitors made the score 25-22 at the half in favor of Bates.

The third quarter was a high-scoring affair, with the Bobcats tallying 21 points to Brooklyn's 20. Senior captain Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) drilled a three-pointer with 5:33 left in the third to put Bates up 37-28. But as they did all night, the visitors from New York City came storming back, cutting the Bates lead to two on a Destiny Drummond three-pointer with 3:45 on the clock. The Bobcats eventually pushed the lead to seven on a Morgan Kennedy jumper, only to see Brooklyn's Sarah James hit a three with 22 seconds left to cut the lead to four at 46-42 heading into the fourth quarter.

Fortunately for Bates, the fourth quarter was all Bobcats. First-year Sarah Hughes (Rumson, N.J.) and Morgan Kennedy combined for a 6-0 run to start the quarter, extending the Bates edge to 10 on a fast-break layup from Hughes with 8:16 left in regulation. 

The Bulldogs didn't get to within closer than seven points down the stretch, and Bates ended the game on an 8-0 run for the final margin of victory.

Morgan Kennedy matched Daulerio with 20 points on the night, shooting 8-16 from the floor and 4-10 from three-point range. Hughes finished with 10 points on 3-6 shooting and Long dished out eight assists.

Alina Estrella paced the Bulldogs with 11 points. Ericka James and Dior Dorsey added nine points each. 

The Bobcats turned the ball over a season-high 21 times, but actually won the points off turnovers battle by a count of 13-10. 

Bates is back in action Saturday evening in the second round of the NCAA tournament when the Bobcats take on Widener at 6:30pm in Alumni Gym. Tickets are on sale now but will go quickly.