- Graham Safford '15 packed 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block into 19 minutes of action Tuesday night against the University of New England. File photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College.
LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates men's basketball enjoyed its best shooting night of the season, hitting 50.8 percent of its shots from the field and 47.6% from three-point land, as the Bobcats coasted past the University of New England 78-40 on Tuesday night.
Bates (3-4) ended a four-game skid with the win, while UNE dropped to 1-7.
Sophomore Billy Selmon (Atlanta, Ga.) scored a game-high 17 points, making 4-of-5 three-pointers, while sophomore Graham Safford (Hampden, Maine) played an outstanding all-around game with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Safford made all three of his shots from downtown and was 5-of-6 from the field overall. Senior center Ed Bogdanovich (Portland, Maine) added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in just 15 minutes of action. Senior Taylor Gartley (Rockport, Maine) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, as Bates achieved a 46-34 advantage on the glass.
Fifteen players played for the Bobcats and 16 Nor'easters saw floor time.
Mitch Loeman made 7-of-9 shots from the field to lead the Nor'easters with 16 points, to go with six rebounds. Beyond Loeman, UNE was limited to 9-of-50 shooting from the field and 2-of-26 from three-point land. Charles Fenner added nine points.
Bates junior Derek Murphy (Lowell, Mass.) found Selmon open for a three that gave Bates an 18-6 lead nine minutes into the game. Bogdanovich started off the game with a layup off a deft feed from Safford, and proceeded to rack up eight points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in the opening 5:33 of play.
Loeman and Devin Thompson cut it to eight with back-to-back jumpers, but Bates finished off the half outscoring the Nor'easters 20-6 over the final 9:25 of the period, as the Bobcats kept up a frenetic pace, and Bates led 38-16 at halftime. Bogdanovich and Safford had 10 points apiece at the break.
Loeman made all five of his shots in the second half for 12 of his points, while Selmon made all four of his attempts in the second period, including three from downtown.
Bates hosts rival Bowdoin in the teams' annual non-conference matchup on Thursday at 7:30pm. The Nor'easters are off until Jan. 2, when they play at Southern Maine at 7:30pm.