Lewiston, Maine - Junior forward Carla Flaherty (Gorham, Maine) scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Bates College Bobcats to a 77-59 win over the visiting Trinity College Bantams in the first round of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament this evening.

Trinity, seeded No. 6 in the tourney, finishes the season with a 12-12 record and four consecutive losses, while Bates, ranked No. 9 in New England, improves to 18-6. The Bobcats will play a semi-final game against Middlebury or Williams on Sat., Feb. 23 at Bowdoin.

After just a pair of baskets were scored over the first 4:30 of the game, Bates went on a 14-4 run to take a 17-6 lead at the 11-minute mark. The Bobcats extended their lead to 56-30 with 12 minutes remaining in the game, and maintained a comfortable cushion for the rest of the game. Trinity closed to within 13 points with 3:14 left to play, scoring eight out of nine points over a two-minute stretch, but could get no closer.

Trinity junior center Kate McCloskey (Uxbridge, Mass.) paced Trinity with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman forward Michelle McCaffrey (West Springfield, Mass.) added 13 points and eight boards. Senior guard McKenzie Corby (Bethel, Conn.) contributed nine points off the bench for the Bantams.

Bates senior guard Kate Dockery (New York, N.Y.) joined Flaherty in double figures in scoring with 15 points, along with five assists. Junior forward Lisa Golobski (Methuen, Mass.) totaled 13 points and a eight rebounds, and sophomore forward Lauren Dubois (Beverly, Mass.) had 11 points, 10 boards, and six assists for the Bobcats.