BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College women's basketball team pulled away in the second half to defeat Williams, 59-48, in the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday in Morrell Gymnasium. The Polar Bears (24-1) advance to the NESCAC Championship game on Sunday at noon against Bates. The Ephs end their year with a record of 13-13.

Bates earned a trip to the finals with an 80-68 semifinal victory over Amherst. 
 
Advance online tickets are currently sold out for the game, but an allotment of tickets will be available Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. at GoUBears.com.
 
Game Highlights

• After Williams carried a 15-13 lead into the second quarter, Carly Davey sparked a big second quarter for the Polar Bears, scoring seven points as Bowdoin took a 30-25 lead into halftime.
• A three-pointer by Rachel Storey helped spark a strong start to the second half for Bowdoin as the Polar Bears pushed their lead to ten points early in the third quarter.
• Williams stayed close thanks to their work from the free throw line, however, as eight of the Ephs' 14 points in the period came from free throws as the Polar Bear lead was cut to four points, 43-39, entering the fourth quarter.
• The Ephs stayed within striking distance until the six-minute mark when Maria Belardi and Payton Collins three-pointers pushed the Bowdoin lead to double digits with under four minutes to go and Williams could not get closer than seven for the remainder of the contest.

By The Numbers

• Grace Kinum scored 18 points with nine rebounds, and two steals in the win while Carly Davey added ten points for the Polar Bears.
• Jamie Yue had a team-high six assists and Maria Belardi added eight points and three steals.
• After shooting 64% in the opening quarter (7-11), Williams made just eight field goals in the rest of the game as Bowdoin held the Ephs to just 24% shooting for the final 30 minutes.
• The Polar Bears forced 16 turnovers and did not allow a three-pointer in the game.
• Williams was able to stay close thanks to a 18-24 effort from the free throw line as the Polar Bears went 9-15.

Up Next

• Bowdoin and Bates will play for the third time this season at noon Sunday for the NESCAC title. Bowdoin won the two matchups earlier this season between the teams.
• It will be the sixth time the two teams have played for the NESCAC crown – tying Tufts-Amherst for the most-frequented championship pairing. Bowdoin is 5-0 all-time against the Bobcats in the title match, most recently in 2024.