Bowdoin 57, Bates 55
at Alumni Gym

BATES FALLS, 57-55, IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE

LEWISTON - In a game with huge post-season implications, the Bowdoin College Polar Bears, ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III Northeast polls, defeated the fifth-ranked Bates College Bobcats, 57-55, in Alumni Gym.

While Bowdoin led for most of the second half, the final four minutes were tense. With the Bobcats trailing by six, 49-43, Bates junior Emily King (Lebanon, N.H.) hit a short jumper and was fouled, hitting the free throw to cut the lead in half. Bowdoin answered when guard Jessie Mayol (Westbrook) found center Jessica Farmer (Longmeadow, Mass.) wide open under the basket. After the Bobcats missed a shot on the next possession, King stole the ball from Farmer and hit a layup, cutting the lead back to three, 51-48. Polar Bear sophomore Lauren Myers (South Boston, Mass.) hit one of two free throws with 1:51 on the clock to make it a two possession game. The Bobcats came up short on their next possession, but again King took the ball from Farmer, who committed a foul as the shot went in. King was unable to cut the lead to one, however, missing the bonus free throw with 1:28 remaining. Myers found sophomore Jamie Bennett (Marlboro, Mass.) open with 1:01 left to put Bowdoin back up by four, 54-50, with 1:01 left. The Bobcats missed a pair of 3-point attempts on the ensuing possession, but junior Jolene Thurston (Post Mills, Vt.) converted the offensive rebounds with 34.4 on the clock. Bowdoin brought the ball down the court and called timeout with 27.1 seconds left. The Polar Bears let the clock wind down to 11.7, when Mayol seemingly stuck a dagger in Bates' heart, hitting an open 3-pointer, to put Bowdoin up 57-52. But Colleen McCrave (Walpole, Mass.), in her final regular season home game, answered, cutting the lead back to 57-55 with a desperation trifecta with 3.8 remaining. The Bobcats called timeout and immediately fouled Bowdoin sophomore Samantha Good (Haverhill, Mass.). Good missed two free throws, and King grabbed the rebound. Her outlet pass found Thurston, whose shot from 35 feet away hit the back iron of the rim as time expired, and Bowdoin to hung on for the win.

King led all scorers with 15 points, including seven in the final four minutes. For Bowdoin, Myers had 12 points, while junior Alli Marshall (Eliot) had 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Bowdoin's effective use of the zone held Bates to just 35 percnt shooting from the floor, while hitting 44 percent themselves, including 47.6 percent in the second half. The Bobcats also struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 12-of-22 (54.5 percent). Both teams will learn tomorrow night what their postseason fates hold, when the NCAA bracket is announced at 8:30 p.m.

Bowdoin 57, Bates 55

Bowdoin (57): Monika Dargin 3-1-8, Allli Marshall 3-4-10, Samantha Good 2
2-6, Lauren Myers 5-2-12, Cynthia Maxwell 0-0-0, Jessie Mayol 2-1-7,
Raegan LaRochelle 2-0-4, Jessica Farmer 2-3-7, Jamie Bennett 1-1-3, TOTALS
20-14 57.

Bates (55): Kate Dockery 0-0-0, Colleen McCrave 4-0-9, Kate McLaughlin 3-0
6, Melissa LaPOinte 0-0-0, Amy Taylor 2-1-5, Sarah Williamson 0-0-0,
Jolene Thurston 2-0-4, Katy Dutille 2-5-9, Emily King 5-5-15, Lisa Dulude
3-1-7, TOTALS 21-12-55.

Halftime: Bowdoin, 26-23.
3 pt. FG: Bowdoin 3 (Mayol 2, Dargin), Bates 1 (McCrave)
Records: Bowdoin 18-5, Bates 20-4.