BOX
SCORE
BRUNSWICK, Maine – The second-ranked Amherst College
women's basketball team held off a furious second-half rally
to defeat 18th-ranked Bowdoin, 72-63, on Friday evening at Morrell
Gymnasium. It is the closest margin of victory this season for the
Jeffs (18-0), who earn their first victory in Brunswick in program
history. The Polar Bears, who had won two straight over Amherst and
own a 17-5 lead in the all-time series, fall to 14-4 with the
loss.
The visitors carried a 10-point lead into halftime thanks to a
barrage of three-point shots in the opening stanza. The Jeffs
netted six trifectas, including three from Caroline Stedman, to
take a 34-24 lead into the break.
Amherst quickly extended their lead to 21 points with a 14-3
surge out of the break and, after consecutive three-pointers from
Marcia Voigt and Stedman, led 48-27 with 14:45 remaining. A
hoop-and-harm for Katie Bergeron sparked a huge Bowdoin run,
however, as the Polar Bears clawed back into the game with a 16-4
spurt. When Nicole Coombes and Amy Hackett knocked down
back-to-back shots for the hosts with under nine minutes to play,
Bowdoin had trimmed the lead to 57-48 with 8:30 left.
After trading buckets for the next five minutes, the Polar Bears
were able to cut the lead to eight points, 65-57, and appeared to
have made it a five-point game after a three-pointer from Bergeron
with 3:30 to play. But the Polar Bears were called for an offensive
foul on the play and the basket was waved off, maintain the
Jeffs' eight-point edge. Amherst took advantage and responded
with a quick 7-0 surge, with five points coming courtesy of Shannon
Finucane, to seal the win.
Stedman led all scorers with 21 points and added six rebounds,
five assists and three steals for Amherst. Voigt (14), Jaclyn
Daigneault (12) and Finucane (13) also saw double figures for the
Jeffs. Bowdoin was led by 20 points from Bergeron and 10 points and
10 caroms from Leah Rubega, who became the 10th player in program
history to surpass 600 rebounds for her career. Kaitlin Donahoe
pitched in 10 points for the Polar Bears off the bench.
Amherst had lost their last two meetings against the Polar Bears,
including the 2009 NESCAC Championship game. Prior to Friday night,
the Jeffs had been 0-9 all-time in Morrell Gymnasium.
