Bates Shoots Past Women's Basketball

CASTLETON, Vt. – Bates used a strong shooting display and ran past Elms in the second half to earn a 76-58 victory in the Rutland Herald Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon. 

The Bobcats connected on nine triples and recorded 14 fast break points to push their lead past 20 in the second half as they improved to 1-0. Bates also shot 41.5 percent overall and out-rebounded the Blazers 54-39 in the contest. Elms, meanwhile, shot 34.8 percent from the floor as the team fell to 0-1. 

The frontcourt of Allie Coppola and Chelsea Nason were dominant, combining for 19 points and 26 rebounds to get the offense off and running. Molly Brown added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists while point guard Kristin Calvo scored 17 points with six assists, two steals and just two turnovers. 

Emily Burr was the Blazers' most consistent performer with a team-high 14 points, along with four rebounds and three steals. Mariah Brown added eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals while Gianna Youngblood chipped in 13 points and two steals off the bench. 

Bates jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Mariah Brown finally scored for Elms 3:25 into the contest. The Blazers clawed back and eventually tied it 16-16 with 11:28 left in the half. The teams traded threes to draw even at 19, before seven straight by the Bobcats gave them a 26-19 advantage. Elms cut the lead to three with 4:20remaining, but Calvo responded with a three and Bates eventually took a 41-35 lead into the break.

The Bobcats opened the second half on a 12-2 run to pull ahead by 15, 52-37 with 15:41 left. Bates extended the lead to 20, 62-42, on a jumper four minutes later. The Bobcat lead climbed as high at 26 on a three from Molly Brown with 6:40 left before settling for the 18-point win. 

Bates returns to action tomorrow at 2 pm when the team faces Castleton, while Elms will take on Mount Holyoke at 12 pm.