LEWISTON, Maine - The Bates College men's basketball team hit 12 three-pointers en route to an 80-61 win over Bowdoin in a New England Small College Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Polar Bears drop their second straight game and fall to 9-4 (1-2 NESCAC). The Bobcats improve to 8-6 (2-2 NESCAC) with the victory.

Mark Brust led all players with 22 points for Bates. Luke Matarazzo was 4-4 from long range and finished with 17 points while Reid Christian hit five three-pointers and ended with 15 for the Bobcats. Will Hanley had 19 points and nine rebounds for Bowdoin while Andrew Madlinger pitched in 11 points. Keegan Pieri had nine points off the bench for the Polar Bears.

The Bobcats couldn't miss in the early going, nailing their first six trifectas to take a 23-6 lead just seven minutes into the game. The Polar Bears couldn't recover, closing the gap to 12 points on one occasion before a late Bates run gave the hosts a 47-26 lead at halftime. Bowdoin could get no closer than 14 points in the second half as the Bobcats continued their hot shooting.

Bates hit 48.5% of its shots for the game and held a 45-34 edge on the glass. Bowdoin had beaten Bates 69-48 in a non-conference game in Brunswick on December 11.