The Bowdoin College women’s basketball team remained unbeaten in a battle of top-10 Division III squads, defeating second-ranked Tufts, 66-53, on Saturday afternoon at Morrell Gymnasium.
A tightly-played first half featured a combined 25 fouls called against the two teams (13 against Tufts and 12 against Bowdoin) as both teams struggled to find their footing. Erica DeCandido scored the opening bucket for Tufts, but Bowdoin responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead they never relinquished. Taylor Choate scored five points in the surge for the Polar Bears, who pushed their early lead to 10 points following a Lauren Petit 3-pointer and held a 19-13 edge after one quarter.
Tufts closed the lead to two points early in the second quarter, but Bowdoin scored the next four points to push the advantage back to six. Bowdoin’s lead bounced between four and nine points for the remainder of the half as the hosts took a 35-30 advantage into intermission.
The teams combined for just 18 points in the third quarter as Bowdoin held a 45- 38 edge into the final 10 minutes. Five straight points from Tufts’ Sadie Otley closed the Bowdoin lead to five points, 49-44, with 6:47 to go. Following a timeout, Bowdoin’s Lydia Caputi hit a big 3-pointer, sparking a game-deciding 8-0 run for the Polar Bears, who increased their lead to 57- 44 with four minutes to go.
Bowdoin finished at 33-percent shooting, while Tufts connected on 31-percent for the contest. The Polar Bears took advantage at the freethrow stripe, connecting on 32-of-38 to aid their cause.
Petit led all scorers with 20 points, while also adding seven rebounds. Kate Kerrigan pitched in 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Polar Bears. Cordelia Stewart added eight big points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench for Bowdoin.
DeCandido led Tufts with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Emily Briggs added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench for Tufts.
On Friday, the Polar Bears scored 28 consecutive points to end the first quarter en route to an 88-43 NESCAC win over Bates.
The Bobcats fell to 5-8 (0-1 NESCAC) with the setback.
After Melanie Binkhorst scored the opening bucket for Bates, Bowdoin took complete command, scoring 28 points over the final 9:18 of the quarter. Abby Kelly and Hannah Graham sparked the outburst with six points apiece, while Caputi scored five points to give the hosts a 28-2 advantage after 10 minutes.
Bowdoin owned a 43-17 edge at the break and extended its lead to as many as 47 points in the second half.
Bowdoin shot 49-percent from the field, including 9-of- 22 from 3-point range while holding Bates to just 25-percent from the field. The Polar Bears forced 23 Bates turnovers, converting them into 27 points.
Five Bowdoin players saw double figures, led by Petit (13), Kelly (12) and Maddie Hasson (12). Graham had 11 points, Caputi had 10 and Kerrigan finished with 10 assists, five steals and six points.
Bates was paced by 16 points from Freeport native Nina Davenport, while Binkhorst had 10.
Bowdoin returns to action at New England College on Tuesday evening (5:30 p.m.).
Men’s basketball
Bowdoin never trailed in a convincing 71-50 NESCAC victory at Bates on Friday night in Alumni Gymnasium.
The Bobcats fell to 7-6 overall, 0-1 in the NESCAC, dropping their second game to Bowdoin, which prevailed in Brunswick, 70-63 on Dec. 7.
Jack Bors scored the first five points of the game, sparking a 9-1 run for the Polar Bears to open the contest. Five straight points from Zavier Rucker pushed the Bowdoin lead to double digits and the Polar Bears continued to roll, hitting five 3-pointers to take a 17-point edge at intermission, 38-21.
The decision was never in doubt in the second half as Bowdoin extended its lead to as many as 26 points midway through the period en route to the win.
Bowdoin finished at 45-percent shooting compared to just 25-percent for Bates. The Polar Bears dominated on the glass, holding a 49-29 edge in rebounding.
Five players were in double digits for Bowdoin, led by 14 off the bench from David Reynolds and 12 from Bors. Zavier Rucker (11), Hugh O’Neil (11) and Jack Simonds (10) also saw double figures, while O’Neil added a team-best nine rebounds.
James Mortimer led Bates with 14 points.
On Saturday at Tufts, the Polar Bears dropped an 87-65 NESCAC decision in Medford, Mass.
Winners of eight straight, Tufts is now 11-3 and 2-0 in NESCAC play. Bowdoin fell to 9-3 with the setback and 1-1 in NESCAC play.
Reynolds had 16 points to lead Bowdoin, which visits Maine-Presque Isle on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Simonds chipped in 14 points and six rebounds.
Women’s hockey
Bowdoin suffered its first loss of the season in a 5-2 NESCAC series opener at Williams on Friday night.
Williams scored seven minutes into the game on a powerplay tally by Candace Lu. The defender handled through the Bowdoin defense towards the left circle and wristed a shot to the far side.
Annie Rush added another tally just 90 seconds later, collecting a centering pass from Kearan Burke and carrying down the slot. Rush drew Kerri St. Denis and put the puck away for a 2-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Brigit Bergin took a shot from the left point. Julie Dachille waited on the right post and deflected in Bowdoin’s first of the game.
Lu notched her second goal, in the second period, to give the Ephs a 3-1 edge going into the third.
Nell Fusco stripped a Williams player of the puck in the offensive zone and rattled a shot off the pipe to pull Bowdoin within one in the final period, tallying her first career goal.
Williams added two more goals in the waning minutes to put the Polar Bears away.
Williams made it a two-game sweep on Saturday, scoring the winning goal in the final minute for a 4-3 victory over the Polar Bears.
Bowdoin is 6-2-1 (1-2-1 NESCAC), while the Ephs improved to 7-3-2 (2-2-2 NESCAC).
Maryanne Iodice, Fusco and Maureen Gleason scored for the Polar Bears, who host Amherst this upcoming Friday and Saturday at Watson Arena.
Men’s hockey
Amherst handed Bowdoin a 4-2 setback on Friday at Watson Arena.
Patrick Daly dug the puck off the left boards and centered a pass to Thomas Lindstrom for the game’s first goal 3:55 into the game. The Mammoths doubled their lead with another tally three minutes later. P.J. Conlon put a shot on net that Alex Zafonte denied, but Nick Bondra cleaned up outside the crease and put the puck into the net.
Connor Girard turned away a promising bid by Matthew Lison with eight minutes to play in the period, keeping Bowdoin off the board. Lison broke away from the pack along the left boards and handled across the goal face eventually being stopped by Girard at the far pipe.
Amherst went up 3-0 a minute later as Bondra buried a low angle shot from the left dot off the far post.
Bowdoin broke through with 3:08 remaining in the opening frame. Bradley Ingersoll controlled the puck on the right point and directed a quick pass to Lison in the left circle. The senior one-timed a rocket past Girard to send the teams into the first intermission at 3-1.
Pieter von Steinbergs scored the only goal of the second period on a power play at the midway point for a 4-1 Amherst lead. Joey Lupo fed von Steinbergs from the right circle to the top of the slot. The blue-liner buried a shot inside the left post.
Michael Brown cut the Mammoths lead in half with a goal 7:40 into the final frame. Pat Geary swung the puck around the back of the net to Austin Ricci who found Brown on the goal line to put it away.
Girard made 32 stops in net for Amherst. Zafonte stopped 19 shots for Bowdoin.
On Saturday at Watson Arena, Jason Brochu had a hat trick as Hamilton rolled by the Polar Bears, 5-1.
Bowdoin fell to 4-8 overall, 2-6 in the NESCAC, while the Bantams improved to 9-2-1, 4- 2-1 NESCAC.
Sam Topham had the lone goal for the Polar Bears, who visit the University of New England on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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