BOWDOIN COLLEGE’S Anna Prohl (24) goes up for two points with University of Southern Maine’s Nicole Garland looking on during a women’s college basketball game at Hill Gym in Gorham on Tuesday. Prohl’s bucket put the Polar Bears ahead, but the Huskies stormed back for a 63-49 victory.
When the Bowdoin College women’s basketball team makes its way south to take on the University of Southern Maine, rankings, records and winning streaks pretty much get thrown out the window.
Fans just never know what will happen.
On Tuesday at Hill Gym, the Polar Bears shot a dismal 3-of-24 from 3- point range, and the Huskies closed the game on a 20-4 run en route to a 63-49 victory.
The loss is the first for 10thranked Bowdoin (3-1), which is slated to visit Colby College on Saturday at 3 p.m., while USM improved to 4-2.
“It was just one of those shooting nights for us,” said Bowdoin coach Adrienne Shibles after watching her team hit on just 21-of-59 shots (35.6 percent). “When you are having a night like that, you have to adjust. We were driving and dishing off in the second half with some success, but then we went away from it. Credit to USM. They did a great job exposing a weakness.”
“We came into this game 3-2, but we are just a few points away from being undefeated,” said USM coach Gary Fifield, whose team suffered close losses to both the University of New England and St. Joseph’s College. “I think we learned something about ourselves in those two losses, and I’m proud how we responded to a little bit of adversity tonight.”
Early troubles
Bowdoin trailed throughout, falling behind 14-3 seven minutes into the game. The Polar Bears rallied behind their defense, holding the Huskies to just two points over an eight-minute stretch while closing to 16-15, thanks to a 12-2 run.
USM responded by outscoring the Polar Bears 9-4 to close the half for a 25-19 lead at the break, and an 11-3 run early in the second half restored the advantage for the hosts to 10 points, 40-30, with 13:40 left.
Bowdoin began chipping away, getting nine points from senior Jill Henrikson of Bath during a gametying 13-3 run.
After the Huskies called a timeout, Bowdoin took its only lead when Anna Prohl pulled down a rebound off a Kaitlin Donohoe miss and scored for a 45-43 edge with 8:12 left.
But, USM came right back, tying the game on a Haley Jordan runner, and two hard-nose baskets by Courtney Cochran put the Huskies in the lead to stay.
Three points by Jordan Grant put USM up 53-45 with 4:54 remaining, and an 8-for-10 showing at the freethrow line down the stretch allowed the Huskies to pull away for the 63- 49 victory.
“I was proud of how we responded after Bowdoin took the lead, and we knew how important it was to be in the lead at the right time as they had to foul to try to get back in it and take 3-point shots,” said Fifield.
“We talked after the game that we can’t get complacent once we battle back and take the lead, and we did that tonight,” said Shibles. “We had a chance there to put the hammer down, but USM just didn’t allow us to.”
Henrikson, the New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Week, led the Polar Bears with 16 points and tied Prohl with seven rebounds.
Bowdoin was outrebounded 42-34, as Cochran pulled down a game-high 18 caroms, including eight on the offensive boards.
Prohl chipped in 13 points for the Polar Bears, while Donohoe added nine points and six assists. Bowdoin was 4-of-7 from the foul line.
Jordan paced USM with a careerhigh
18 points, with Nicole Garland adding 16 and Grant 15. Garland dished out five assists, while Grant picked up three steals.
The Huskies were 22-of-56 from the field (39.3 percent) and 15-of-21 from the charity stripe.
USM 63, Bowdoin 49
Bowdoin — 19 30 — 49
USM — 25 38 — 63
Bowdoin (49) — Kaitlin Donohoe 3-1-9, Amy Hackett 1-1-3, Jill Henrikson 7-1-16, Ellery Gould 1-0-2,
Alexa Barry 2- 0- 4, Allie Piscina 1- 0- 2, Sara
Binkhorst 0-0-0, Anna Prohl 6-1-13. Totals — 21-
4-49.
USM (63) — Nicole Garland 6-2-16, Erin McNamara 1-2-4, Haley Jordan 6-5-18, Jordan Grant 4-6-
15, Courtney Cochran 4-0-8, Kim Rivet 1-0-2,
Stephanie Gallagher 0-0-0, Brooke Stevens 0-0-0,
Meredith Reid 0-0-0, Taylor Flood 0-0-0, Abby Hasson 0-0-0, Tracey Ivan 0-0-0. Totals — 22-15-63.
3-points field goals — (B) Donahoe 2, Henrikson;
(USM) Garland 2, Jordan, Grant.
Records — Bowdoin 3-1, USM 4-2.
Next for the Polar Bears — Saturday at Colby College, 2 p.m.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
