LEWISTON, Maine -- Senior captain Meghan Graff scored a game-high 26 points and first-year Sophie Spolter added a career-high 13 in the Bates women's basketball team's 72-59 win over Middlebury Friday night at Alumni Gym. 

Graff (South Portland, Maine) scored 10 of her 26 points in the first quarter, as Bates (9-8, 2-3 NESCAC) jumped out to an early 20-10 lead. The Bobcats did not trail in the contest, taking a 3-0 edge on a Graff three and never looking back. It's the third straight victory for Bates over Middlebury (11-8, 3-3 NESCAC) in the friendly confines of Alumni Gym. 

Bates held Middlebury to just 3-14 shooting in the first quarter and the Bobcat defense recorded four steals in the opening 10 minutes, with senior Kayla Bridgeman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallying two of them. Bridgeman finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while playing her usual lockdown defense. 

The Bobcats started heating up on offense in the second quarter, shooting 53.3 percent from the floor, and using a balanced attack to increase their lead to 39-20 at halftime. Five different players scored points for Bates in the quarter, with four players tallying four points apiece. 

Middlebury's offense came alive in the third quarter, as the Panthers scored 23 points, more than they had tallied in the first half. Augusta Dixon led the way in the quarter, with 10 points on 4-5 shooting. But Graff had the answer for the Bobcats, recording eight more points in the third, as Middlebury never seriously threatened the Bates lead. 

Alexa Mustafaj scored 19 points in the second half for the Panthers, finishing with a team-high 23 on 7-21 shooting. Dixon recorded 15 points on the night and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Spolter (Blacklick, Ohio) had her best shooting night as a Bobcat, knocking down 5-7 from the floor, including 2-3 from three-point range. Fellow first-year Elsa Daulerio (Harpswell, Maine) chipped in six points and seven rebounds. The Bobcats led by as many as 21 points in the contest, and Middlebury never cut the lead to fewer than 10 points in the second half. 

Bates is back in action Saturday afternoon when the Bobcats host Williams at 3pm.