LEWISTON, Maine --(Bates College Sports Information) Graham Safford scored 17 points, including 11 points in the opening 5:13 of the second half, as the Bates men's basketball team pulled away from Connecticut College for a 75-60 NESCAC victory Friday night in Alumni Gymnasium.

Bates rose to 7-10 overall and pulled even in NESCAC play at 2-2; Connecticut College (5-11, 0-5 NESCAC) remained winless in league play.

"We never got in a rhythm offensively and that really fueled Bates's offense," Connecticut College Head Men's Basketball Coach Tom Satran said. "The team and I are really disappointed in our performance."

Safford scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and made three steals in the game, while Mark Brust added 15 points and five assists for the Bobcats. Luke Matarazzo added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Matt Vadas led the Camels with 14 points and nine rebounds, but was limited to 4-of-16 shooting from the field and committed seven turnovers. Mason Lopez added 12 points and six boards off the bench, and Jared Shill contributed 11 points and six boards.

Brust led the Bobcats to a 36-31 lead at the end of the first half with eight points, while Adam Philpott made a 3-pointer followed by back-to-back layups for seven points in a span of less than two minutes late in the half.

Vadas kept the Camels in the thick of the game through one period, posting game highs of 11 points and six rebounds in the period.

Tomorrow at 2pm, Bates plays host to Wesleyan while the Camels play at Tufts.