BRUNSWICK — The University of Southern Maine women’s basketball team entered the game Tuesday night at Bowdoin College as an obvious underdog.

But this is a rivalry in which every shot is contested, every rebound well earned and every loose ball a potential scrum.

The Huskies kept it close before the Polar Bears pulled away for a 63-51 victory at Morrell Gymnasium.

Bowdoin, which dropped out of the latest d3hoops.com Division III national poll, improved to 3-1 while USM dropped to 3-3.

Jill Henrikson of Bath and Katie Bergeron of Bradley paced the Polar Bears with 18 points each. Alexa Barry added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Lauren Rousseau, a freshman from Biddeford, led USM with 13 points. Courtney Cochran scored nine and grabbed 21 rebounds.

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USM never led in the second half, but Renee Nichols’ two free throws closed the Huskies to 52-49 with 4:06 remaining.

Bergeron kept coming up big in the stretch. Her free throw and driving jumper made it 55-49. Nichols hit a jumper but Bowdoin finished with a 7-0 run.

“(USM) has a lot of speed and athleticism,” Bowdoin Coach Adrienne Shibles said. “I was proud of the poise our team showed down the stretch.”

Bowdoin took advantage of USM’s four-guard offense, outrebounding the Huskies 45-38, including 25-17 in the second half. USM’s lone post player, the 6-foot Cochran, played 38 minutes but had to contend with a swarm of Polar Bears pounding the boards.

“We really focused on that at halftime,” Shibles said. “Cochran was doing such a good job. We had to tighten it up.”

Bowdoin, which appears headed for another successful season, routed the University of New England last week, 82-55. UNE had beaten USM two weeks ago.

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But the Huskies, who have as many as three freshmen and a sophomore on the floor at once, are improving.

“I think we grew up a lot tonight,” USM Coach Gary Fifield said. “I thought we played well against a real, real good team.

“I’m happy. I obviously hate to lose but I thought we gave a great effort.”

In the first half, there were nine lead changes and neither team led by more than six points.

USM took a 23-18 lead with 2:28 left in the half on a layup by Cochran and Rousseau’s 3-pointer. But the Polar Bears finished the half with an 11-point run highlighted by Henrikson’s 3-pointer for a 29-23 lead.

USM hit 8 of 26 3-pointers, including three by Rousseau and two by Kaylie DeMillo. Bowdoin was 6 of 18 from behind the arc, getting three from Henrikson and two from Bergeron.

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When the Huskies closed to 32-29 early in the second half, Bergeron hit her two 3-pointers and Henrikson added another as Bowdoin opened a 44-32 lead. But USM persisted.

“They have a lot of speed and athleticism,” Shibles said. “That speed made our press less effective than it is against other teams.”

Bowdoin next plays host to unbeaten and 20th-ranked Colby on Saturday. Southern Maine opens its Little East Conference schedule Saturday at Western Connecticut State.

 

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com

 


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