Bowdoin’s Maddie Hasson (15) drives to the basket while being defended by a pair of NYU players in Saturday’s NCAA Division III tournament game in Brunswick. (Brian Beard / CiPhotography.com)
BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin College women’s basketball team advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen” for the 15th time in school history, rolling past New York University in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday, 86-67.
Bowdoin seniors Maddie Hasson and Samantha Roy combined for 50 points to lead the second-ranked Polar Bears to the victory, improving to 27-2 on the season. NYU ended its year with a record of 21-6.
“This was a great win and a great second quarter for us,” said Bowdoin College coach Adrienne Shibles. “”NYU is a great shooting team, but a I thought we made adjustments and rebounded the ball well, leading to our strength of transition.”
NYU came out strong, jumping ahead 11-6 after a 3-pointer by Janean Cuffee.
Bowdoin used an 11-5 run, taking the lead briefly on a Roy lay-in.
The teams traded buckets from there, with the Violets claiming a 21-20 advantage after 10 minutes.
Bowdoin senior point guard Sam Roy (1) dribbles the ball against New York University in a women’s NCAA Division III Second Round contest inside Morrell Gymnasium in Brunswick on Saturday. (Brian Beard / CiPhotography.com)
The Polar Bears took complete command in the second quarter as Hasson and Roy sliced through the NYU defense for 16 points in the period, keying a 19-0 run to start the frame. By the time Hasson put home a traditional three-point play with 3:05 to go, Bowdoin had built its lead to 39-21.
“Our defense got us this win,” said Shibles. “it was a back and forth first quarter, and in the second we got great stops and we were able to get out on offense.”
A Brooklyn Shelton 3-pointer stopped the bleeding for NYU, ending an 8:29 scoreless drought.
The game wasn’t close in the second half, with Bowdoin pushing its lead to 27 points in the final frame.
Hasson led all scorers with 27 points and added five rebounds, while Roy scored a career-high 23 points with eight boards and six assists. Annie Maher scored in double figures for the second straight day for Bowdoin, ending with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Cuffee ended with 24 points to lead NYU.
Bowdoin shot 49% from the field while holding the Violets to just 38% for the contest. The Polar Bears owned a 46-29 edge in rebounding and dominated in the paint to the tune of a 52-14 advantage in points.
On Sunday the Polar Bears learned that they had earned hosting rights for this upcoming weekend’s Sectionals. Bowdoin (27-2) will host Indiana-based school Trine (23-6) in the “Sweet Sixteen” Friday night at 7 p.m. Oglethorpe (29-1) out of Atlanta faces Washington state’s Whitman (26-3) in the 5 p.m. contest on Friday.
“We are so excited to play in our gym again,” Shibles said. “We hope that we get two more chances. There will definitely be some tough opponents coming here, but I feel that our league prepares us well.”
Fellow NESCAC schools Tufts and Amherst also earned hosting sites for the “Sweet Sixteen” and “Elite Eight” while Williams advanced and faces Tufts on Friday.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for seniors (65+) and students. Bowdoin students are free w/ID. Tickets will be sold at the door prior to the games each day, beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday.
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