BRUNSWICK — The NCAA Division III “Final Four” is upon us, and for the second straight season the Bowdoin College Polar Bears are among those last four survivors.
After a pair of two-game home weekends, Adrienne Shibles’ squad heads to Salem, Virginia, to face the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies in the opening game, slated to begin Friday at 5 p.m.
Thomas More University, the No. 1 team in the nation with a perfect 31-0 record, meets the University of Scranton in the 7:30 p.m. matchup.
The winners battle it out in the national final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Bowdoin Polar Bears
The Polar Bears hope to take that final step this time around.
Last year, Bowdoin defeated Wartburg, 90-62, in the semifinals before falling to NESCAC rival Amherst, 65-45, in the national championship contest at Rochester, Minnesota.
This year, Bowdoin (30-1) comes to Virginia rolling. After defeating Hunter College in the opening round and surviving Smith in round two, the Polar Bears rolled past SUNY New Paltz in the first home sectional for Bowdoin since 2004, then bounced Ithaca, 87-61, in the “Elite 8” to advance.
Shibles feels this year’s squad has an advantage after playing on the big stage just one year ago.
“It’s different going this year, knowing what to expect, and most of the players know what to expect,” said Shibles. “With that being said, when the ball is tipped on Friday night, it’s going to take more than just the fact that we were there to get us the win. We need to show up and play basketball.
“When you get to this point, everyone is exceptional.”
Bowdoin comes into Friday averaging 84.4 points a game, led by senior Abby Kelly (14.8), junior Maddie Hasson (14.4), and senior Taylor Choate (13.1). Junior point guard Sam Roy (9.8 points, 4.3 assists) has quarterbacked the offense, while solid play comes from seniors Hannah Graham and Cordelia Stewart.
As always, expect to see a lot of Shibles’ bench, led by sophomores Moira Train and Dorian Cohen, and freshmen Annie Boasberg and Sela Kay.
St. Thomas Tommies
The Tommies are led by all-around talent Hannah Spaulding (6-foot-2 senior, 10.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals a game).
St. Thomas (30-1) is averaging 75.6 points per game while allowing just 50, and has received key contributions from sophomore Kaia Porter (13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds) and senior Lucia Reinkoff (12 points, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals) this year.
“They have an All-American center (Spaulding), a candidate for the National Player of Year who averages 18 points a game,” Shibles said. “She can do it all, she can shoot it from the outside, she can drive it, she can go left, she can go right, she can pass it, she’s an incredible player. They balance that out with very consistent perimeter shooting. It’s a tough combination to stop for sure.”
The only loss for St. Thomas this season came at the hands of Wartburg (60-40) on Dec. 30. The Tommies captured the MIAC Championship with a 73-54 victory over Augsburg, then rolled through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament with an 88-58 win over Ripon and a 67-51 victory against Wisconsin-Lutheran.
St. Thomas faced defending national champion Amherst in the “Sweet 16” and came away with a 61-58 overtime win, then earned revenge against Wartburg with a dominating 85-56 victory.
Thomas More Saints
The Saints enter the “Final Four” after defeating Saint Vincent (79-54), Trine (67-59), Transylvania (89-74) and Washington (87-72) in the NCAA Tournament.
The champion of the ACAA Conference (a 92-47 rout of Valley Forge) and based in Chestview, Kentucky, Thomas More has the highest scoring team left standing, averaging 85.3 points a game while allowing 55.5.
Top scorer Madison Temple has put up a whopping 23.8 points a contest so far this season, along with pulling in 7.7 rebounds, dishing out 5.7 assists and picking up 2.8 steals.
“Thomas More is another very talented team that was in the Final Four last year,” said Shibles. “They have another National Player of the Year candidate in Madison Temple, a 5-foot-11 point guard. She can do it all, she’s the leader on their team. They are big and have size.”
Senior Shelby Rupp stands 6-foot-2 and comes in averaging 12.2 points a game along with 7.3 rebounds, while junior Emily Schultz (11 points, 5.4 rebounds) and senior Kaela Saner (9.3 points) are key players for the Saints.
Scranton Royals
Scranton (29-2) seemed down and out in last Saturday’s “Elite 8” matchup with NESCAC champion Tufts.
Trailing 35-29 heading to the fourth quarter, the Royals rallied, outscoring the Jumbos, 15-5, for a 44-40 victory and a trip to the “Final Four.”
Scranton’s only losses this season came at the hands of Elizabethtown (64-56) and Catholic (59-50). However, the Royals found their game in time to win the Landmark Championship — a 68-48 win over Elizabethtown — then rolled through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament with wins over New England College (69-49) and Johns Hopkins (59-46).
Scranton battled Christopher Newport in the “Sweet 16” and secured a hard-fought 57-56 win before rallying past Tufts.
“Scranton also has size and has an All-American guard (Makenzie Mason), so they have a good balance of inside-out,” said Shibles.
Mason averages 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists a contest, and receives solid support from Bridgette Mann (11.7 points) and Sofia Recupero (10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds).
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