Bates 56, Bowdoin 38
at Lewiston, Maine

LEWISTON, Maine -- Senior co-captain Emily King (Lebanon, N.H.) scored ten second-half points to lead the Bobcats (4-0) over the Polar Bears (1-3) tonight at Alumni Gymnasium.

The game was a defensive battle from the opening tip. Bowdoin managed only 18 first-half points and Bates forced 15 turnovers in the first stanza to take a ten-point advantage into the locker room. Sophomore Sarah Williamson (Plainfield, N.J.) paced the Bobcat scoring attack in the first half with 11 points on 5-7 shooting. Bowdoin converted only 6-22 field goal attempts in the first half, but the Polar Bears' defense kept the game within reach.

Bowdoin cut the Bates lead to seven just under five minutes into the second half on three straight field goals by first-year Kristi Royer, who made her first collegiate appearance in her native Lewiston. The Bobcats responded with five straight points from Williamson to stretch the lead to 12. Emily King scored ten of her 14 points in the second half to preserve the Bates victory.

The Bobcats were led by Williamson, who scored a game-high 16 points on 7-12 shooting, including 2-3 from behind the three-point line. Junior Katy Dutille (Lebanon, N.H.) finished with 15 points on 6-9 shooting. First-year Julia Price (Mansfield, Mass.) led a stifling Bates defense with four steals. The Bobcats forced 29 turnovers, and Bowdoin shot 15-54 from the field for a .278 percentage. The Polar Bears were led by Royer, who scored 12 points on 5-13 shooting.

Tonight's game was a rematch of one of last season's biggest rivalries in New England. Bowdoin defeated the Bobcats twice in a period of a week, including a win in Brunswick in the first round of the NCAA tournament to end Bates' season. The two teams will meet again in Brunswick in a league matchup on Jan. 18.

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