Sophomore Alexandra Long scored a career-high 16 points but the Bates women’s basketball team dropped a close contest to Rhode Island College by a count of 61-52 Friday afternoon.
The Bobcats (5-4) were originally scheduled to travel to Puerto Rico for a pair of games but their flight got canceled, forcing a last-minute schedule change and a trip to Albany, N.Y.
Bates struggled from the field on Friday, shooting just 27.1 percent overall and 2-13 from three-point range. Long (Newtown, Pa.) was the exception, shooting 5-7 from the floor and 2-3 from three. She also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and recorded a steal. Senior captain Meghan Graff (South Portland, Maine) led all scorers with 19 points on 7-23 shooting.
The Anchorwomen (10-2) shot 36.8 percent from the floor and dominated the glass, out-rebounding Bates 50-37. RIC tallied 15 second chance points to Bates’ seven.
Jeniyah Jones paced RIC with 18 points on 6-14 shooting while Izabelle Booth finished with a double-double, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds. Antonia Corsinetti added 12 points and Angelina Nardolillo grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
A pair of Long free throws put Bates up 48-47 with 3:27 remaining in regulation. But the Anchorwomen went on an 8-0 run to grab a 55-48 lead with 1:12 left on a Booth layup.
Graff answered with a jumper to cut the deficit to five, which was as close as the Bobcats got the rest of the way. RIC made all six of their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory over Bates.
The game featured nine ties and nine lead changes. Bates led 23-21 at halftime and by as much as five points in the second half in the defeat.
The Bobcats look to bounce back Saturday when they take on Sage College at 1pm.
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