Bowdoin College coach Adrienne Shibles has a problem with her women’s basketball team.
On any given night, Shibles has an infinite number of lineup possibilities among her 16 talented players, a good problem to have.
On Tuesday night at Morrell Gymnasium, Shibles’ bench exploded for 53 of her team’s 85 points in a dominating 85-40 victory over the University of Southern Maine, giving the Polar Bears a 4-0 mark.
“It is our biggest strength and will become more critical the further we get into our season,” said Shibles. “We have had games where players get into foul trouble, and in the past I worried a lot about. Now, it is next person up, which is a nice thing to have.”
“The biggest thing is we have 16 great players on this team this season,” said Bowdoin senior Ally Silfen, who came off the bench to score a game-high 12 points in the win. “We have so much depth, and being able to have a bench that steps up and keeps that consistency going will help us to win some big games. Coach prepares us in practice and does a great job of making it about all of us and not just those starting five.”
Against the undermanned Huskies, Bowdoin took command right out of the gate. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Marle Curle and Kate Kerrigan gave the Polar Bears an 8-2 lead. Curle put home a layup after a steal for an 11-4 edge.
USM (1-5) coach Samantha Allen called a timeout, but Bowdoin was just getting warmed up. The Polar Bears rolled out a 14-0 run to close the first quarter for a 25-6 advantage, and four quick points to open the second frame made for a 29-6 contest.
USM struggled from the field, missing all 15 of its attempts from behind the arc and shooting just 21.4 percent (6-of-28) in the first half.
On the other side, Bowdoin was red hot, making 17 of its 29 first-half shots (58.6 percent), including 6-of-12 from 3-point range. Rachel Norton led the Polar Bears with nine points in the opening 20 minutes, with eight points coming from Kerrigan and Maddie Hasson. The Polar Bears held a 43-14 edge at the intermission, with the Bowdoin bench accounting for 28 of those points.
The Huskies nearly doubled their point total in the third quarter, scoring 13 points, with Kayla Stacy leading with five and Alexa Srolovitz adding four.
However, Bowdoin put up 26 points, led by Curle, Silfen and Taylor Choate with five points apiece as the Polar Bears grabbed a 69-27 edge.
Bowdoin placed five players in double figures. Kerrigan had 11 points, followed by 10 each from Curle, Cordelia Stewart and Hasson. Choate and Norton split 18 points down the middle.
Bowdoin was 34-of-61 from the floor (55.7 percent) and 9- of-19 from the 3-point range. Lauren Petit pulled down eight rebounds, with Silfen adding seven caroms. The Polar Bears out-rebounded USM, 35-26 and forced 22 Huskie turnovers.
Emily Nicholson and Mychaela Horton led USM with seven points apiece.
The schedule is certainly challenging from here for the Polar Bears, who play nine of their next 10 contests away from Morrell Gymnasium, beginning Saturday at rival Colby at 3 p.m.
“It is nice to have home games, but we realize down the road it will help prepare us to win the big games. Great teams win on the road, and that is something we will have to do,” said Silfen.
“We have talked about being road-tough all year, and it means that we will need to stay focused on the little things, like our defense,” said Shibles, whose Polar Bears host Bates on Dec. 10 at 3 p.m., the team’s final game before the holiday break.
USM holds a 31-17 lead in the series with Bowdoin. However, the Polar Bears have now won 14 of the past 20 matchups, including four straight.
Bowdoin 85, USM 40
At Morrell Gymnasium in Brunswick
| USM | — | 6 | 8 | 13 | 13 | — | 40 |
| Bowdoin | — 25 | 18 | 26 | 16 | — | 85 |
USM — Emily Nicholson 3-0-7, Jackie Luckhardt 3-0-6, Kayla Stacy 2-0- 5, Miranda Nicely 0-1-1, Chantel Eells 2-2-6, Alexa Srolovitz 2-2-6, Kimberly Howrigan 1-0-2, Katie Howe 0-0-0, Kat Locke 0-0-0, Mychaela Harton 3- 0-7, Julianna Cleaves 0-0-0. Totals — 16-5-40. Bowdoin — Sydney Hancock 1-0-2, Kate Kerrigan 4-0-11, Marle Curle 4- 0-10, Lydia Caputi 0-0-0, Cordelia Stewart 4-2-10, Sam Roy 0-0-0, Taylor Choate 4-0-9, Lauren Petit 2-0-6, Rachel Norton 4-0-9, Hannah Cooke 0-0-0, Maddie Hasson 5-0-10, Ally Silfen 3-6-12, Abigail Kelly 1-0-2, Olivia Ware 2-0-4, Emily Campbell 0- 0-0, Hannah Graham 0-0-0. Totals — 34-8-85. 3-point field goals — (USM) Nicholson, Stacy, Harton; (B) Kerrigan 3, Curle 2, Petit 2, Choate, Norton. Records — Bowdoin 4-0, USM 1-5. Up next for the Polar Bears — Saturday at Colby, 3 p.m.
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