It was the luck of the draw today for Middlebury as they fell to Bates, but still received a bid to the NESCAC Tournament. Colby, Tufts and Middlebury finished in a seventh place tie, with only eight teams taking part in the tournament. All the tie-breaking procedures were even, forcing the league to put all three team's names in a hat, and draw two. The Panthers were drawn as were the Jumbos of Tufts, leaving Middlebury with the eighth seed. They will take on #1 Williams next Saturday in the quarterfinals.

A 21-4 run towards the end of the first half gave the Bobcats a comfortable 18-point halftime lead. The Panthers cut it to 15 early in the second half before Bates slowly increased its lead on the way to an 81-58 win. Nate Anderson led Middlebury with 13 points.

For more tourney information, go to www.nescac.com