Courtesy Bowdoin Sports Information

Box Score

BRUNSWICK, Maine - The top-seeded Bowdoin College women's basketball team survived a scare from eighth-seeded Trinity to advance to the NESCAC Semifinals in a 61-50 Quarterfinal victory on Saturday afternoon.

The Polar Bears (24-1) will host the NESCAC Championship weekend next Saturday and Sunday at Morrell Gymnasium and will face Williams in the early game on February 24. Bates and Tufts will play the later contest that day in the other semifinal.

Trinity finishes their season with a record of 12-12.

Bowdoin jumped out to a 19-7 lead after 13 minutes of play, but saw their advantage cut to five points, 22-17, late in the period. Sabrina Cote hit a running jumper from the middle of the lane at the halftime buzzer, giving the Polar Bears a 24-17 edge at the break.

Trinity cut the lead to four points immediately after intermission as Catherine Maher buried a three-pointer to make it 24-20. Bowdoin used a 10-2 burst, however, capped by a Julia Loonin three-pointer, to push the advantage back to a dozen points, 34-22, with 16 minutes on the clock.

The Bantams refused to go quietly, however, chipping away at the Bowdoin lead and closing the gap to five points on four occasions in the second stanza. The final time came on a Sarah Cox lay-in with seven minutes remaining that trimmed the lead to 46-41.

But three-pointers on consecutive possessions by Eileen Flaherty and Maria Noucas to create some space. The Polar Bears iced the game by hitting 19-of-26 free-throws in the second half, as Trinity committed 25 fouls in the game.

Three players reached double-digits for Bowdoin, led by Flaherty's game-high 19. Alexa Kaubris hit for 11 points while Loonin notched 12.  Sarah Cox had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Trinity, while Maher finished with 12. Bowdoin grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and forced 20 Bantam turnovers in the victory.

NESCAC Semifinal Doubleheader tickets will go on sale beginning Wednesday morning in the Athletic Department Offices at Bowdoin. Ticket prices and gametimes will be announced on Monday.