LEWISTON, Maine – The Connecticut College men's basketball team wrapped up regular season play with an 81-73 loss to Bates College on Friday night in NESCAC action at Alumni Gym.

The Camels led by as many as 15 points in the first half and 14 in the second, only to see the Bobcats draw even at 64-64 with 4:35 to play. Bates took the lead for good on a three by Brady Coyne with 3:27 to go and held off Conn down the stretch to improve to 17-6 (5-4 NESCAC) on the year.

Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) paced the Camels with a career-high 24 points and nine rebounds and shot 12-for-13 from the free throw line. RJ Casey (Nashville, Tenn.) netted 12 of his season-high 14 points in the first half, and James LaFrance (Guilford, Conn.) chipped in a line of 12 points, three boards and two blocks.

Trailing by two at the 12:18 mark of the opening half, Conn went on a 21-1 run to seize control of the game. Casey got things started with back-to-back threes and supplied 10 points during the spurt, which left the visitors with a 31-16 advantage with 5:28 to go in the half.

The Camels shot 44 percent from the floor and led 38-28 at the break. The Bobcats, who shot just 32 percent, stayed within striking distance by pounding the offensive glass for 11 first-half rebounds.

A three by PJ Johnson Jr. (Marietta, Ga.) gave the Camels a 44-30 cushion in the second half, but Bates made up ground behind a 10-3 spurt to cut the deficit to six. Later, an 8-1 run brought the Bobcats back to within a possession at 62-60 with 6:19 to go.

Conn's lone bucket of the final 9:00 came from Watson, and his three-point play brought the Camels to within 74-72 with 1:20 left on the clock. However, the Bobcats sealed the victory by going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe over the final 32 seconds.

Coyne and Jamari Robinson each netted 18 points to lead Bates, which improved to 10-0 at home on the year. Sean O'Leary added 15 points and seven rebounds while Babacar Pouye tacked on 10 points and nine boards. 

Conn (16-8 overall, 4-6 NESCAC) has qualified for the 2026 NESCAC Championship, which tips off with quarterfinals action on Saturday, February 21. The conference will announce the tournament field following Sunday's final regular season game between Bates and Tufts.