Basketball Falls to Top-Ranked Bowdoin, 57-74
BRUNSWICK, Maine (March 2, 2007) - The top-ranked Bowdoin College women's basketball team had four players in double figures and connected on eight three-pointers to take a 74-57 win over Mount Holyoke College in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday evening.
The Lyons see their season come to an end with a record of 21-8. The contest was the first-ever NCAA Tournament game for Mount Holyoke, the NEWMAC Champions.
Mount Holyoke College's Joeanna Silvey single-handedly kept her team in the game in the opening half, scoring a game-high 17 by intermission on 7-7 shooting from the field. The Polar Bears used a late spurt to close the half, using a 13-4 surge over the final five minutes of the frame. The run, keyed by a Julia Loonin three-pointer, gave the Polar Bears a two-point lead at the break, 34-32, despite the Lyons connecting on 59% of their shots in the period.
The Polar Bears used a 10-2 run immediately out of halftime to create some space. Jill Anelauskas buried a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Bowdoin a 44-34 edge just five minutes into the frame. Bowdoin pushed their advantage to 12 points with six minutes remaining. Silvey twice cut the Bowdoin advantage to single digits later in the half on running jumpers, but Julia Loonin answered both buckets for Bowdoin with huge three-pointers to stifle the Lyons' momentum. The Polar Bears hit 52% of their second-half shots to take the eventual 17-point victory.
Flaherty led Bowdoin with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Loonin and Anelauskas both pitched in 14. Leah Rubega was huge off the bench for the hosts, connecting on all five of her shots in scoring 10 points and nine boards.
Silvey put on a performance for the Morrell Gymnasium crowd, getting a standing-ovation upon her exit from the game. The senior was the lone Mount Holyoke player to reach double figures, scoring 30 points on 12-13 shooting, including a trio of long-range three-pointers.