MEDFORD, Mass. -- Senior captain
Meghan Graff turned in a superlative performance with a game-high 44 points, becoming the Bates women's basketball team's all-time leading scorer along the way, in an 84-75 overtime loss for the Bobcats Saturday at Tufts.
Graff (South Portland, Maine) hit a three-pointer with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter, surpassing
Emily King '00 for the most career points in program history. She finished the contest with 1,507 career points, with eight regular season games remaining this year. King finished her career at Bates as the program's all-time leader with 1,478 points, a mark that stood for 23 years. Graff's 44 points on Saturday are the second most in one game in Bates history, one shy of Graff's own single-game record of 45 points.
Saturday's contest between the Bobcats (8-8, 1-3 NESCAC) and the Jumbos (12-5, 3-1 NESCAC) featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes. Graff scored her 44 points on 17-29 shooting, hitting 5-10 from three-point range. No other Bobcat finished in double figures. Tufts got a huge game from Maggie Russell, who scored 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Sofia Gonzalez added 15 points and Callie O'Brien chipped in 14 for the Jumbos.
The Bobcats appeared to be in good shape, going up 29-18 when first-year
Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) made a layup with 6:32 left in the second quarter.
But the Jumbos made a huge run, scoring 14 unanswered points to take a 32-29 lead on an O'Brien layup with remaining until the half.
Bates grabbed a 36-34 on a Graff steal and fastbreak jumper. Then Tufts responded with an 8-0 run, and the Bobcats trailed by six at halftime.
After being out-scored by 10 in the second quarter, Bates righted the ship and tied the game at the end of three quarters at 55 apiece on a Graff layup at the horn.
A Graff jumper gave Bates a 62-61 lead with 3:42 remaining in regulation. Russell answered with a pair of free throws and a jumper, putting Tufts up three with 2:51 left. Then Graff drilled a three-pointer to tie the score at 65 with 2:42 on the clock.
Neither team scored for the remainder of regulation. Bates had a chance to win it at the horn, but O'Brien tallied a huge steal, sending the game to overtime.
A Graff three-pointer with two minutes left in OT put the Bobcats ahead 75-73. Then Tufts got a three of their own from Annika Decker, grabbing the lead for good. Bates was unable to score for the remainder of the overtime period, and the Jumbos made their free throws down the stretch to win by nine.
Turnovers cost the Bobcats in a game where they shot 44.4 percent from the floor. Bates turned it over 18 times to Tufts' 10, and the Jumbos scored 22 points off those turnovers. The Bobcats only recorded 10 points off turnovers themselves.
The Jumbos also went to the free throw line a lot, making 26-36 from the line. Bates made 13-16 from the stripe.
Sophomore
Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) was the Bobcats' highest scorer after Graff, finishing with nine points on 3-5 shooting. Daulerio finished with six points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
The Bobcats are back in action Monday when they visit the University of Southern Maine for a 6pm tip.
Gallery: (1-21-2023) WBB at Tufts (Courtesy of Tufts)
