LEWISTON, Maine - The Connecticut College men's basketball team dropped a back-and-forth game 74-68 to Bates on Friday night. 

Bearing the harsh New England winter weather, the Camels traveled to Lewiston, Maine for a mid-season NESCAC matchup against the Bobcats. Looking to make their presence felt early, the away team came out with their foot on the gas.

Early in the game, a series of stops and scores put the visitors in the driver's seat as a 3-pointer from Ben Rice (Hanson, MA) was followed up by a steal forward, David Murray (Jackson Heights, NY). Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, ME) capitalized on the turnover with a quick score giving the Camels an early five-point lead.

With the home crowd continuing to file in, the Bobcats (8-8, 2-5 NESCAC) were determined to keep the game in reach, and a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers from Simon McCormick and Stephon Baxter, quickly cut the deficit to just a single point.

Another 3-pointer from Rice jump started the Camels offense, and a series of stops and scores capped off by a jumper from guard Cam Schainfeld (Newton, MA) gave the visitors an 11-point lead with just over five minutes to play in the first half.

Staring at a 33-22 deficit, Bates once again looked to keep the game in reach, and consecutive scores from Baxter highlighted a seven-point run that cut the Camels' lead to just four with under two minutes to play in the half.

Schainfeld converted on a layup and Rice followed with a buzzer-beating put back, and the Camels found themselves carrying a 41-33 lead into the half.

The Bobcats came out of the locker room strong with a pair of 3-pointers from McCormick. Bates showcased their scoring arsenal, as scores from six different players led to a 12-point run that gave the hosts a 54-52 lead with 11 minutes to play.

While consecutive scores from Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) and Hartel reclaimed a narrow lead for the Camels, McCormick dropped in another pair of 3-pointers to shut the door on any hopes of a comeback. The Bobcats held on to their lead, eventually finding themselves on the right side of a 74-68 score.

McCormick led all scorers with seven 3-pointers en route to a game high of 25 points. Fellow guards, Baxter and Jahmir Primer added 15 and 11 points respectively. Raheem Spence hauled in 12 of the team's astonishing 48 rebounds.

Schainfeld and Rice each added 16 points in the loss. Flynn and Hartel also found themselves in double-digit scoring with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Connecticut College (8-8, 2-4 NESCAC) will look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Medford, Mass. to take on the Tufts Jumbos.