BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bowdoin College women's basketball team used a balanced attack to defeat Salve Regina, 74-64, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday evening at Morrell Gymnasium. The Polar Bears (23-5) advance to the second round Saturday where they will face Mount Saint Mary at 7:00 p.m. Salve Regina ends their season with a record of 25-4.
Nicole Coombes paced the Polar Bears with 16 points and five boards off the bench while Kaitlin Donahoe posted 13 points, nine assists and seven caroms. Amy Hackett and Colleen Sweeney each had 13 points and Alex Barry chipped in 10 points and 10 boards for the hosts. Erin Phillips led all scorers with 22 points and eight rebounds for Salve Regina. The Seahawks also received 15 points off the bench from Lindsay Shorey.
Neither team could pull away in a back-and-forth opening half. Phillips kept Salve Regina close with 11 first-half points, but Bowdoin was able to use a 7-2 run over the final four minutes of the period to take a 31-25 edge at halftime.
The Polar Bears took command early in the second period, opening the half on a 14-4 run, including a trio of three-pointers from Amy Hackett. Colleen Sweeney nailed a trifecta from the top of the key with 16:09 remaining to give Bowdoin a 45-29 lead and force a Seahawk timeout. The Polar Bears pushed their lead to as many as 22 points on two occasions before Salve chipped away late to draw within 10 points at the buzzer.
Bowdoin has now won at least one tournament game in each of the last eleven seasons, the longest streak in Division III basketball. The Polar Bears improve to 14-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament games at Morrell Gymnasium. Donahoe's nine assists tied a Bowdoin NCAA Tournament record, equaling the nine assists of Katie Bergeron against Western Connecticut in the 2010 Tournament.
Saturday's meeting will be the first-ever between Mount Saint Mary and Bowdoin. The Knights will be looking for their first 'Sweet 16' berth in school history while the Polar Bears will be looking to advance to the 'Sweet 16' for the ninth time in program history. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m.
BOWDOIN-SALVE BOX SCORE:
http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/wbkb/2010-11/files/ncaa1.htm
BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team featured five players in double figures in a 73-50 victory over Emmanuel College in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday evening at Bowdoin College. The Knights, who received a game-high 21 points from Amanda Horvers, advance to tomorrow's second round game against the winner of Bowdoin and Salve Regina. Emmanuel finishes their season with a record of 21-8.
Horvers netted five three pointers and grabbed seven rebounds in addition to her 21 points while Jen Mocanu added 18 points in the win. Jess Tice (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Kate Hartnett (10 points) also saw double figures for the victors. The Saints were paced by 15 points from Meghan Kirwan in the loss.
Mount Saint Mary controlled the game from the outset, sprinting to a 10-2 lead and using 7-10 shooting from beyond the arc to take a 36-19 edge at intermission. The Knights pushed their lead to as many as 26 points in the second period en route to the win. The Knights controlled the glass, owning a 48-27 edge in rebounding and held Emmanuel to 35% shooting for the game.
The Knights will be making their fifth appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will be searching for their first "Sweet Sixteen" appearance. Emmanuel falls to 0-3 all-time in NCAA play at Morrell Gymnasium.
MOUNT SAINT MARY-EMMANUEL BOX SCORE:
http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/wbkb/2010-11/files/ec-msm.htm
