PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Junior Sophie Spolter scored a career-high 21 points but it wasn't enough as the Bates women's basketball team fell 68-66 to Albertus Magnus Friday night in a neutral site game played at Rhode Island College.

Caitlyn Scott played all 40 minutes for Albertus Magnus (2-2) and scored a game-high 31 points on 9-21 shooting. She made 13-18 from the free throw line as the Bobcats (2-1) got stuck in foul trouble throughout the contest. Senior captain Alexandra Long (Newtown, Pa.) fouled out for just the second time in her career, and sophomore Sarah Hughes (Rumson, N.J.) and junior Ava James (Bethesda, Md.) both ended up with four fouls, limiting their minutes.

Spolter (Blacklick, Ohio) shot 8-17 from the floor, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out four assists. Junior Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) struggled from the field but still finished with a double-double, tallying 20 points on 8-21 shooting and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds.

A Diamond White three-pointer with 8:23 remaining put Albertus Magnus up by 14 at 61-47. But the Bobcats rallied, scoring the next six points to trim the deficit to eight after a pair of Spolter free throws with 5:15 left. 

White hit another three to put the Falcons up by 11. Then Bates went on a 9-0 run, capped off by a Spolter jumper with 1:10 remaining, making the score 64-62. The teams traded buckets and the Bobcats got the deficit down to one with 12 seconds left on a pair of Daulerio free throws. Scott split her two free throw attempts on the other end, leaving the Bobcats trailing 68-66 with 11 seconds to go.

Spolter drove hard to the rim and attempted a contested layup that missed. Daulerio grabbed the rebound, but the Falcons made enough contact without being called for a foul to stop her put-back attempt, as Amanda Zrdu got credit for a blocked shot. The ball rolled away to the near side and Bates fell two points short.

The Bobcats appeared to be on their way to another victory when they jumped out to a 21-14 lead through one quarter. But after a couple early threes from Hughes, they went cold from the field, finishing 2-14 from long distance. Meanwhile, the Falcons finished the game 7-21 from three-point range, including four made threes in nine attempts by White, who finished with 21 points. 

Bates led 31-29 at halftime after being outscored by five in the second quarter. A Spolter jumper with 7:22 left in the third quarter put the Bobcats up 35-30, only for the Falcons to go on a 9-0 run to grab a four-point lead on a White three with 6:11 to go in the third. 

Spolter's layup with 4:47 left in the third quarter tied the game at 39. But the Falcons answered with a 6-0 run, and they never surrendered the lead down the stretch despite the late Bobcat rally.

The Bobcats don't have any time to dwell on the loss, as they are back in action in Rhode Island Saturday afternoon when they take on MIT at 2 p.m.