LEWISTON, Maine – Senior Sami Ashton (Clinton, Conn.) scored 22 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Connecticut College women's basketball team fell to Bates by a 63-56 decision in Alumni Gymnasium on Friday evening.

Connecticut College had a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and went ahead by a 56-50 score when sophomore Claire Gulbin (Wilton, Conn.) successfully drove in for a layup with 4:51 remaining.

However, the Bobcats stormed back and ended the game on a 13-0 run. Meghan Gaff put back a missed layup by Melanie Binkhorst to tie the game at 56-all at the 2:25 mark, and Ariana Dalia drained a jumper after stealing the ball away on the Camels' ensuing possession to put the hosts ahead for good just 55 seconds later. Connecticut College went 0-of-4 from the field and missed two free throw attempts the rest of the way, allowing the hosts to escape with a come-from-behind victory.

The game was a nip-and-tuck battle with nine ties and 14 lead changes. In addition, neither side pulled ahead by more than seven at any point during the contest. Senior Dana Muckstadt (Dover, Mass.) made a half-court shot as time expired in the first to give the Camels a 21-19 advantage through 10 minutes of action, but the Bobcats continued to hang around in the second and did not allow the visitors to seize any momentum. Binkhorst and Gulbin exchanged trifectas to swing the lead back-and-forth during the middle of the second quarter before Muckstadt sank a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to rightfully send the teams into the recess locked at 31.

After scoring first to begin the second half and surrendering the upper hand on the scoreboard, Connecticut College eventually regained the lead when sophomore Jenna Whelan (Bernardsville, N.J.) made a layup to break a 41-41 tie with 2:42 on the clock. Ashton followed with a layup and two free throws, giving the Camels a slight 47-45 edge through three quarters of play.

The Camels began pulling away and held a 51-45 lead at the 7:19 mark with Ashton continuing to score from both the floor and the line, but a good jumper which came off the hands of Graff with 6:31 remaining got the Bobcats going again. The host school outscored the visitors by an 18-5 margin moving forward to eventually come away with their second conference win of the season.

Dalia and Binkhorst both recorded double-doubles to lead the way for Bates (11-10, NESCAC 2-5). In addition to matching a team high with 17 points, Dalia grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out three assists, and added a game-high three steals. Binkhorst finished with 11 points and 10 boards, while Graff matched Dalia's mark by netting 17 points as well.

Ashton notched a game-high 22 points by going 8-of-20 from the floor and 6-of-9 at the line to pace Connecticut College in the setback. Muckstadt had a strong game by registering 11 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, and Gulbin finished in twin figures with 10 points.

Connecticut College (7-13, NESCAC 2-5) will next visit top-ranked and undefeated Tufts for a 3 p.m. matinee tomorrow afternoon.