LEWISTON, Maine -- Senior Ariana Dalia recorded a double-double and the Bates women's basketball team defeated Maine Maritime Academy 67-42 Sunday afternoon at Alumni Gym.

The Bobcats (4-1) are off to their best start since the 2011-12 campaign after handing the Mariners (5-2) their second loss of the season. 

Dalia (Brick, N.J.) recorded 12 points on 5-8 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds while junior captain Meghan Graff (South Portland, Maine) also finished with 12 points to pace Bates. Dalia blocked three shots and recorded three steals on defense and Graff tallied two steals and dished out a team-high three assists. Sophomore Davina Kabantu (Portland, Maine) came off the bench and scored a career-high 10 points on 4-7 shooting, knocking down a pair of threes along the way. 

Lauren Plissey recorded a double-double for the Mariners, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She also blocked five shots. 

A Plissey layup with 4:49 left in the first quarter tied the game at four. But Bates went on an 11-0 run to end the quarter, taking command of the contest. Graff's layup with 3:43 remaining in the opening quarter put the Bobcats ahead for good. She scored six of her 12 points in the first 10 minutes of action. 

Sophomore Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) continued the Bates run to start the second quarter before MMA's Lauren Cook ended the Mariners' scoring drought with 9:34 remaining in the half. Kennedy finished the game with eight points on 4-9 shooting. 

The Bobcats added to their lead, scoring 19 points in the second quarter and holding the Mariners to 12, taking a 34-16 advantage into halftime. Balanced scoring was key, with Kennedy, Graff and Dalia all scoring four points in the quarter for Bates. 

Turnovers proved to be a big difference in the game, with the Mariners turning the ball over 28 times and the Bobcats only turning it over 12 times. Bates scored 34 points off turnovers and MMA scored just five points off turnovers. Bates tallied 14 steals on the afternoon.

Bates returns to action Wednesday when the Bobcats visit Bowdoin for a non-conference game. Tip is set for 7pm.