LEWISTON — The Bates College men’s basketball team pulled away in the second half to defeat Bowdoin, 71-51, in a non-conference game at Alumni Gym on Thursday evening.

The Polar Bears dropped their second straight contest and fell to 4-2 on the season. Bates improved to 7-0 by snapping a fourgame losing streak to Bowdoin.

The Bobcats dominated the glass, owning a 39-22 advantage in rebounding for the contest. Bowdoin’s Lucas Hausman led all players with 22 points, while Keegan Pieri pitched in 10 for the Polar Bears.

Bates had three players in double figures, led by Graham Safford’s 12.

Bates held a slim 32-30 lead at halftime thanks to a lay-up at the buzzer by Justin Zukowski. Bowdoin regained the lead early in the second half thanks to four consecutive points by Pieri, 34-32, but Bates rolled off a quick 10-1 spurt, sparked by eight points from Billy Selmon, to take a 42-35 edge.

Bowdoin was able to stay within shouting distance until late, when the Polar Bears went ice cold from the field, hitting just one field goal over a six-minute span as Bates went on a 19-1 run to put the contest out of reach.

Bates connected on 45-percent of its shots for the game, including 9-for-21 from 3-point range. Bowdoin shot 40-percent, but only connected on 4-of-15 from long distance.

The Polar Bears will look to bounce back on Saturday when they host Colby at 4 p.m.