BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Bowdoin College women's basketball team used a dominant second half to pull away from Nazareth, 65-44, on the opening day of the UNE Nor'easter Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon.
The 13
th-ranked Polar Bears came away victorious in their first game under new head coach
Sacha Santimano, and improve to 1-0 while the Golden Flyers fall to 1-1 on the year.
Game Highlights
- Both teams struggled from the field in the first half, as the Polar Bears clung to a 21-19 lead at halftime thanks to 7-31 shooting (22%).
- The Polar Bears found their rhythm in the second half and cruised to the victory, outscoring Nazareth 44-25 over the final twenty minutes.
- Holding a 29-24 lead two minutes into the second half, Bowdoin used a 16-2 surge, highlighted by three-pointers from Sydney Jones and Tori Beck, and carried a commanding 45-31 lead into the fourth quarter.
- Bowdoin pushed their advantage to as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter on their way to the win.
By The Numbers
- Bowdoin locked down Nazareth defensively, holding the Golden Flyers to just 31% shooting for the game. Meanwhile, the Polar Bears shot a healthy 46% in the second half while pulling away for the win.
- Megan Tan led a balanced Bowdoin attack with 13 points, while Tori Beck and Sydney Jones each scored ten.
- Tan also had a team-high eight rebounds, joined by Callie Godfrey, while Jones had seven assists.
- Santimano, who came to Bowdoin after being the head coach at Eastern Nazarene for ten seasons, joins Adrienne Shibles (2008) and Richard Mersereau (1975) as the only Bowdoin women's basketball coaches to win their debut with the Polar Bears.
Up Next
- Bowdoin will play the host school, UNE, at 3:00 p.m. Sunday in the finale of the two-day tournament.
