Bates College

Junior guard Graham Safford averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game to lead men’s basketball to a 2-1 week and earn male Bobcat of the Week honors for the week of Nov. 18-24.

A team captain, Safford shot .558 (24-43) from the field and .500 (9-18) from behind the arc for the Bobcats and also gained NESCAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week accolades for his efforts. He currently leads the NESCAC in assists (6.80) while ranking third in the conference in points (19.4) and tied for fourth in steals (1.80).

In the team's final game of the week, the Hampden, Maine, native tallied a career-high 32 points in the Bobcats' 72-54 win over the University of New England on Saturday. He connected on 8-of-14 shots from the floor, 5-of-8 three-pointers, and 11-of-12 free throws while adding six rebounds and six assists. Safford netted 22 points in the second half including 14 during a decisive 17-3 run in the period.

Earlier in the week, the 6-1 guard posted a career-best nine assists to go with 13 points in just 19 minutes as the Bobcats topped Thomas College 114-61 on Nov. 21, scoring over 100 points for the second time in four games. Two days prior to that, Safford notched 30 points – a career-high prior to his performance against UNE – in addition to eight assists and six rebounds in an 82-77 loss to St. Joseph's College of Maine.