NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women’s basketball team closed out the regular season with its biggest win of the year, knocking off No. 11 Bates by a 56-51 final on Friday night in a NESCAC clash at Luce Field House.
Sofia Tavarez matched a season high with 31 points and added three rebounds, three steals and two assists in the win. Hayle Thompson contributed seven points, 12 rebounds and three blocks while defending Bates center Elsa Daulerio all night.
The Camels (14-10 overall, 5-5 NESCAC) also punched their ticket to the 2026 NESCAC Championship, and will play in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019. The conference will announce the tournament bracket Sunday evening following the completion of all games.
Conn made it known early that the Bobcats were in for a long night. While Thompson and Sydney Marshall protected the rim on the defensive end, Tavarez was relentless on the offensive side. She netted nine points in the opening period to keep the score even at 11-11 after one.
Tavarez shifted into another gear defensively to start the second quarter, picking up a steal and drawing two charges in the first minute of action. Conn then scored the first eight points of the stanza and never trailed again. Later, the Camels closed the half with a 9-0 stretch to lead 35-23 at the break.
Tavarez’s 19 points led all scorers at intermission. The 12-point difference was also Bates’ largest halftime deficit of the season.
The Bobcats used a strong third quarter to shrink the margin to 46-43 heading into the fourth. Lily Brown rallied Bates with seven points in the period.
Conn never led by more than five in the final quarter, and twice saw its lead cut to one. Both times, however, the Camels had a response. The first time it was a jumper by Mia Xerras that padded the lead back to three with 5:27 to go. Then it was Tavarez’s turn, and the rookie drilled a three that made it 53-49 with 4:01 left.
Conn kept the Bobcats off the scoreboard for the final 2:33 to secure the victory. Xerras added two late free throws to make it a two-possession game with 9.7 seconds to go. In all, the Camels held Bates to 3-for-13 shooting in the final period.
Tavarez, who shot 3-for-6 from deep, picked up her second 30-point game of the season. She is the only player in the NESCAC with multiple 30-point games this year.
Daulerio paced Bates (20-3, 7-2) with 21 points on 9-for-24 shooting and added nine rebounds and four blocks. Sarah Hughes chipped in 10 points and four assists while Brown finished with nine points.
Conn’s five NESCAC wins are the most since the 2015-16 season.