Bates College took the lead for good late in the first half and the Bobcats went on to an 83-78 NESCAC win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Bates' Alumni Gym on Friday night.

Hamilton (10-3, 2-1 NESCAC) had its win streak end at six games while the Bobcats extended theirs to seven. Bates (12-3, 3-0) and Tufts are tied for first place in the conference standings. The Continentals travel to Tufts for another NESCAC game on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.

Michael Grassey '19 paced Hamilton with his fourth double-double this season and the sixth of his collegiate career with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Grassey was 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Jack Dwyer '18 dropped in a season-high 19 points and handed out four assists. Peter Hoffmann '19 chipped in 14 points, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Joe Pucci '18 grabbed a career-best 11 boards.

The Bobcats received double-doubles from two players -- twin brothers Marcus and Malcolm Delpeche. Marcus recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. Malcolm contributed 12 points, 17 boards and five blocks. Jeff Spellman came off the bench to score 16 points as Bates enjoyed a 34-14 advantage in bench points. Nick Gilpin registered nine assists and 10 rebounds. The Bobcats held a 58-52 edge on the boards.

Kena Gilmour '20 gave the Continentals a 37-33 lead on a layup with 3:43 left in the first half. Bates then ended the half on a 14-3 run and led the rest of the way. Malcolm Delpeche opened the spurt with two layups and Jeff Spellman converted an old-fashioned 3-point play. Grassey tied the score one last time at 40-40 on a 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining. Malcolm Delpeche made two free throws to put the Bobcats ahead for good, Quin Leary drained a 3-pointer and Delpeche scored from close range again for the 47-40 cushion with 42 seconds to go. Malcolm Delpeche scored all 12 of his points in the first half.

Bates never had more than a 10-point cushion in the second half but led by at least two possessions until the final minute. The Bobcats' Tom Coyne made it 80-72 on a free throw with 28 seconds left but Grassey nailed a trifecta to cut Hamilton's deficit to five with 22 seconds remaining. Jerome Darling made the second of two free throws for an 81-75 cushion with 20 seconds to go only to have Grassey slice the lead in half on another 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. Darling was fouled and secured the win by making both free throws with nine seconds remaining.

Bates held an early 19-9 advantage and still enjoyed a 29-20 cushion midway through the first half when the Continentals grabbed the lead with a 17-4 run. Pucci started the run with four free throws and Gilmour sandwiched two layups around a Dwyer 3-point play to tie the score at 31-31. Dwyer added layups on consecutive possessions and put Hamilton up 35-31 with 4:23 remaining.

Friday's game featured the top-ranked defensive team in the NESCAC (Bates) against the top-ranked offensive team in the conference (Hamilton).