BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College women's basketball team survived a defensive battle on Friday night against Emmanuel College, 51-42, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in Morrell Gymnasium.
 
The Polar Bears (25-2) advance to the second round on Saturday evening at 7:45 p.m. against the University of Southern Maine, who defeated Johnson & Wales 62-46 in their first round game earlier on Friday. Tickets for Saturday's game are available here.
 
Game Highlights

• The defensive tone of the game was set early on, as both squads struggled to find their rhythm in the opening quarter and were deadlocked at 10-10 following ten minutes of play.
• Bowdoin took the lead they would never relinquish in the second quarter as seven different Polar Bears scored. The Polar Bears outscored Emmanuel 19-11 in the frame and carried a 29-21 lead into the break.
• A 6-0 surge out of the break pushed Bowdoin's lead to 14 points and the Polar Bears still maintained a double-digit lead, 40-30 heading to the final quarter.
• An 8-2 Saints run, capped by a three-pointer from Lia Krumian, cut the Bowdoin lead to four points, 42-38, with 5:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
• After a defensive stop, Emmanuel had a possession that saw them miss three attempts to cut further into Bowdoin's lead.
• Moments later, Carly Davey nailed a three-pointer from the wing, pushing Bowdoin's lead back to seven points, 45-38, with 2:30 to go, essentially sealing the win for the Polar Bears.

By The Numbers

• Bowdoin only shot 35% for the game but held Emmanuel to 26% shooting and scored 14 points off turnovers in the victory.
• Grace Kinum scored a team-best 12 points with nine rebounds to lead Bowdoin, who got ten points each from Maria Belardi and Abbie Quinn, who also had four steals.
• Carly Davey pitched in nine points on 3-3 shooting from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line.
• Emmanuel held a 44-33 edge in rebounding, scoring 14 second chance points, but Bowdoin posted 16 steals from eight different players.
• Emmanuel's 42 points matched their season low, which came against Bates, 49-42, in December.

Up Next

• Bowdoin will face the University of Southern Maine at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday evening in Morrell Gymnasium for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. It will be the fifth meeting all-time in NCAA Tournament play between the teams including 2003 (64-47 Bowdoin), 2004 (59-55 Bowdoin), 2006 (56-53 USM), and 2012 (75-68 Bowdoin).
• Bowdoin will be looking for the third straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and 18^th overall. USM is in search of its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2007.