WORCESTER, Mass. -- Junior captain Meghan Graff was named to the All-Tournament team but No. 22 nationally ranked Bates women's basketball lost for the second straight day, falling 72-67 to Susquehanna Thursday afternoon at the WPI Holiday Tournament.

Graff (South Portland, Maine) followed up her team-high 13 points on Wednesday with a game-high 22 points on Thursday. 16 of her 22 points came in the first quarter, as Bates (7-3) built a 24-22 lead. Sophomore Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 16 points on 6-10 shooting and senior Mia Roy (Bedford, N.H.) finished in double figures with 10 points. Senior captain Taylor McVeigh (Hanson, Mass.) chipped in eight points on 4-5 shooting and a game-high nine rebounds. 

Kennedy poured in 12 points in the second quarter alone, and Bates appeared to have control of the contest, taking a 47-35 lead at the break.

But the Bobcats only tallied five points in the third quarter. Susquehanna (8-2) finished the third quarter on a 14-2 run capped by a Sadie Comfort lay-up with 10 seconds to go to make it 52-49 Bates heading to the fourth. 

Susquehanna tied the game for the first time since 6-6 at 54-all, as Comfort drilled a three-pointer with help from Amalia Esposito with just under nine minutes to play in regulation. SU continued its run with back-to-back buckets by Esposito and Isabella Schwabe to take a 58-54 lead with 7:22 to play. 

After a Roy triple for the Bobcats made it a one-point contest, Susquehanna responded with two more lay-ups to take a 62-57 lead. The SU lead grew up to as much as six with just under three minutes to play on a three-pointer from Olivia Brandt from the top of the key.

Bates once again pulled to within one score but both teams' defenses locked down over the last two minutes, and a Brandt block with 19 seconds to play on a potential game-tying lay-up from Graff helped seal the victory for the River Hawks. Esposito connected on two ensuing free throws to make it a two-score game, as the River Hawks fended off the Bobcats.

Brandt led the way for the River Hawks with a team-high 16 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Esposito also added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds to go with four assists as well.

The River Hawks shot 48.3 percent (28-54) from the floor for the contest, hitting 5-of-13 from downtown and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. The key to the comeback was the defensive effort in the third quarter, as SU held Bates to 2-of-20 shooting in the third. 

Despite the poor shooting third quarter, the Bobcats still shot 29-of-67 (43.3 percent) on the game, including hitting eight of their 17 field goals from deep.

The Bobcats look to bounce back Tuesday when they visit Colby for a non-conference game at 7pm.