BRUNSWICK

Refuse to lose!

When talking to a Bowdoin College women’s basketball player this year, those are the words one will likley hear with regards to the 2014/15 Polar Bears.

Down 65-58 to Ithaca in Saturday’s NCAA Division III second round contest at Morrell Gymnasium, Adrienne Shibles gathered her team during a timeout, referred back to “refusing to lose,” and watched her team roar back for a thrilling 71-66 win, sending the Polar Bears to the “Sweet 16” for the first time since the 2011/12 season. Bowdoin (25-4) will face New Jersey-based Montclair State (28-1) this upcoming Friday, with Salisbury (27-2) meeting Amherst (25-3) in the other “Sweet 16” Regional game.

The winners move on to Saturday’s “Elite Eight.”

“This is my first ‘Sweet 16,’ and it is for the seniors,” said Bowdoin sophomore guard Marle Curle, who brought the Polar Bears back by nailing two NBA-range 3-pointers during Bowdoin’s game-ending 13-1 run.

“Our Alumni that graduated own a big piece of this,” said Shibles. “Last year we went out early, but their dream for us was to get back and we did it.”

Curle was all over the court in this one. She scored a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the second half. She also dished out two assists, picked up four steals and pulled down five rebounds. Her four free throws started Bowdoin’s rally, followed by a trey to tie the game, 66-66, with 1:56 remaining. Moments later, Curle stole an Ithaca pass, spotted up and swished another from beyond the arc to put the Polar Bears ahead to stay.

“Marle just refused to lose and had the heart of a champion, stepping up to make big plays,” said Shibles. “Everyone in the NCAA Tournament is so talented. It just comes down to making plays, and Marle was huge for us today.”

Curle admitted that she has received an earful this year from Shibles about taking her shot when she has an opening.

“They were sagging, and coach always says when that happens to take it,” said Curle. “All of us said that we just refuse to lose. Coach believed in us. Playing in front of that crowd was so much fun. When we got down by seven, they didn’t give up on us and it inspired the team.”

Bowdoin forward Shannon Brady also stepped up for the Polar Bears. She had 21 points, but her two blocks in the final minute as the Bombers tried to tie the game allowed the hosts to hold on.

“You can’t take anything away from them, they made plays when they had to, got steals when they had to, big rebounds and they made big shots,” said Ithaca coach Dan Raymond after his Bombers finished 23-6. “Did we give it away? No! They just made more plays at the end of the game.”

Early Bowdoin

The Polar Bears came out of the gate fast, scoring the game’s first seven points and forcing an Ithaca timeout. The visitors from the Empire 8 Conference answered their coach’s call, running off the game’s next seven points and setting up a back-and-forth half of quality basketball. The opening 20 minutes featured seven lead changes and five ties, with the teams combining on just eight turnovers.

“The thing that stood out for me is that we never allowed them to get away,” said Raymond. “They jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and we regained our composure. We took a deep breath and got back in it. From a fan’s perspective, I can’t imagine watching a better first half of basketball than that.”

“Ithaca is a phenomenal team,” said Shibles. “We got outrebounded (44-37), something that hasn’t happened more than a couple of times all year. They were physical, gritty and tough. We had our opportunities to pull away, but they are always in the NCAA Tournament, are used to winning and knows what it takes. We knew they were going to throw it all at us.”

The second half turned into a more physical affair, with Ithaca hitting the boards and Bowdoin looking for shots in the lane. After shooting 50 percent in the opening half (17-of-34), the Polar Bears were 8-of-25 (32 percent) in the second.

Bowdoin claimed a 58-55 lead on a Curle lay-up, but Ithaca’s Alex Galligan (12 points) hit her fourth 3-pointer to tie the game. Ithaca kept rolling, scoring the game’s next seven points, with Samantha Klie putting the finishing touches on a 10-0 Ithaca run.

“They made that run, and I thought we looked a little bit tired,” said Shibles. “But, we came in during that timeout, regrouped, and I could sense a real positive from the team that they weren’t going to let this one slip away.”

Kate Kerrigan chipped in 11 points and pulled down a Bowdoinhigh eight rebounds. Sara Binkhorst added seven points and three assists. The Polar Bears finished 14-of-21 from the free-throw line.

Klie led the balanced Bombers with 14 points and four assists, with Keri Steele picking up 12 points and Ally Mnich 11. Francesca Cotrupe had a gamehigh 11 rebounds. Friday

Bowdoin 70, Babson 57

Binkhost scored 13 of her gamehigh 19 points in the second half, and Curle added 16 points as the Polar Bears ousted Babson on Friday at Morrell Gymnasium.

Bowdoin led 29-22 at the half, with neither team shooting well. The Polar Bears were 8-of-28 from the floor in the opening frame (28.6 percent), while the Beavers (20-9) made 8-of-30 shots (26.7 percent). Babson’s Linnett Graber kept her team in it with nine points, while Binkhorst and Curle each picked up six points for the Polar Bears.

The tempo picked up in the second half, with Babson closing to 38- 32 on a Taylor Russell (12 points) bucket with 14:31 remaining.

But, Bowdoin used a 13-4 run, highlighted by seven points from Binkhorst and key 3-pointers from Curle and Ally Silfen for a 51-36 lead.

A 9-0 spurt from Babson made for a 52-47 contest with 7:48 left, and a 10-2 Beavers run closed the gap to 63-57 later in the frame.

But, Bowdoin pulled away from there, scoring the final seven points at the free-throw line. The Polar Bears were 23-of-29 from the line, while Babson finished 11-of- 15.

Giovanna Pickering led Babson with 17 points, 15 coming in the second half, while Graber added 14 points. Jennifer Narlee picked up eight points and nine rebounds.

Silfen came off the Bowdoin bench to score 13 points, with Brady and Mitman adding six points apiece. Bowdoin held a 43-32 rebounding edge, led by Curle’s 10.

Ithaca 82,
Mount Saint Vincent 72

The Bombers gave up a big lead, but rallied in the closing minutes to advance to Saturday’s second round.

Ithaca jumped out to a 27-11 advantage in the first half, using a balanced attack to take control. However, the Dolphins (22-6) found their footing behind 16 first-half points from Kelly Fraser to close the gap down to 10 on several occasions in the opening frame.

A late 3-pointer from Klie staked the Bombers to a 39-26 halftime lead.

MSV still trailed by double digits, 59-49, when the rally started. Christina Barone scored 12 secondhalf points and dished out six assists, including a pass to Fraser to tie the game at 65. Barone gave the Dolphins their only lead moments later, 67-65, with 3:46 remaining. Steele tied the game on the Bombers’ next possession, igniting a game-clinching 11-0 run.

Ali Ricchiuti picked up 11 of her team-high 14 points in the second half for Ithaca, with Steele and Mnich adding 13 apiece. Klie chipped in 12 points and Jordan Beers 11. The Bombers dominated the boards, outrebounding MSV, 50-27, including a 24-7 edge on the offensive glass.

Fraser had a game-high 27 points and pulled down 11 boards in the loss, while Barone had 20 points.