ITHACA, N.Y. - A furious fourth-quarter rally fell just short as the Bowdoin women's basketball team saw its season come to an end in a 62-61 setback to New Paltz St. in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday evening at Ithaca College.

The Polar Bears, who finish the year at 21-5, lose in the opening round of the tournament for just the second time in their 17 NCAA Tournament appearances. New Paltz (19-8) advances to the second round in Ithaca tomorrow evening.

Game Highlights

• Bowdoin dug itself a first-half hole thanks to cold shooting from the field. The Polar Bears connected on just 8-29 from the field in the first twenty minutes, including 2-14 from three-point range.
• New Paltz owned a dominant 26-15 edge on the glass in the first half and carried a 27-22 advantage into the second half.
• Bowdoin was able to briefly grab the lead as they jumped out of the gate on a 9-0 run to open the third quarter, sparked by a Kate Kerrigan three-pointer
• But the Hawks responded, outscoring Bowdoin 19-4 for the remainder of the period to take a commanding 46-35 lead into the fourth quarter following a Kit Small lay-up before the buzzer.
• New Paltz was able to parry several early buckets by the Polar Bears in the fourth quarter and still maintained an eight-point lead, 56-48, with 2:30 to play.
• Maddie Hasson started the rally with a layup and a Hawks turnover was followed by an Abigail Kelly three-pointer that cut the lead to just three, 56-53, with 1:57 to go.
• The teams traded free throws and New Paltz was able to push the lead back to six points before a 4-0 Bowdoin run, capped by a Kelly lay-in, cut the lead to just two, 60-58, with 26 seconds remaining.
• Lindsay Bettke hit a pair of big free throws with 21 seconds left for New Paltz which proved to be the difference as a late Kate Kerrigan three-pointer cut the lead to 62-61 with only 0.5 seconds to play. New Paltz inbounded the ball safely to ice the win.

By The Numbers

• Bowdoin erupted for 26 points in the fourth quarter but the effort proved too little, too late, as the squad connected on just 34% of their shots for the game and 22% (5-22) from three-point range in the loss.
• Abigail Kelly led Bowdoin with 13 points while Marle Curle had nine. Maddie Hasson pitched in nine points off the bench.
• Kit Small led New Paltz with 14 points and eight rebounds
• The Hawks held a huge 44-26 edge in rebounding and cashed in for 15 key second-chance points compared to 0 for Bowdoin.
• The Polar Bears forced 26 turnovers and converted them into 28 points offensively, but New Paltz was clutch in the fourth quarter, hitting all 12 of their free throws in the final period to clinch the victory.
• The loss ends the Bowdoin careers of five seniors: Marle Curle, Ally Silfen, Emily Campbell, Sydney Hancock and Rachel Norton, who conclude their careers with a cumulative record of 89-23 with four NCAA Tournament appearances.