Lewiston’s Kristi Royer drops in 22 points to help lead the Polar Bears past the Huskies.
As it turns out, local women’s basketball fans had their opportunity to see this year’s game for the ages between Bowdoin and Southern Maine.
The rematch, nine hours away with a possible trip to the NCAA Division III championship in the balance, wasn’t nearly as close.
Kristi Royer of Lewiston scored 22 points, and fifth-ranked Bowdoin went on a 19-4 run midway through the second half before waltzing to a 64-47 victory in a Sweet 16 showdown Friday night at Scandlon Gym in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Lauren Withey and Lora Trenkle each added 11 points for the Polar Bears (26-2), who meet Eastern Connecticut State in a national quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. tonight. ECSU upset host school King’s College in Friday’s second game.
The winner advances to the Final Four in Terre Haute, Ind., next weekend.
Southern Maine, twice a national runner-up in the last six seasons, finished its season at 26-4. One of those four defeats was a 78-76 overtime loss to Bowdoin in Brunswick on Dec. 2.
Bowdoin snapped a a 13-game USM winning streak in earning its second straight trip to a regional final.
Freshman Tiffany Jones of Skowhegan led the Huskies with 11 points. Megan Cressler added nine along with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Jones scored 33 points in the first meeting and averaged nearly 19 during the regular season.
Senior co-captain Kara Crockett swished a short jumper to pull Southern Maine within two, 35-33, with 14:08 remaining.
The Polar Bears scored 12 of the next 14 points. Junior forward Lindsay Bramwell punctuated that push with two free throws. Nikki Allen of USM dropped in a lay-up before Bowdoin rattled off seven more unanswered points for a 54-37 edge with five minutes remaining.
Withey knocked down two from the line to give Bowdoin its largest advantage at 64-42. The Huskies’ Dianna Thibaudeau notched the final five points of the contest.
Bowdoin went 18-for-22 (82 percent) from the free-throw line. Royer hit 6-of-8, while Bramwell was 5-for-6.
The Polar Bears held the Huskies to 34 percent from the field. Jones was 5-for-15, and Katie Frost (3-for-6, eight points) was the lone USM player to connect on half her attempts. Royer blocked three shots.
Trenkle (eight rebounds), Withey (seven) and Royer (five) helped Bowdoin rule the glass. Bowdoin scored 17 second-chance points to USM’s nine. Crockett blocked six shots for the Huskies.
With 650 spectators looking on, many of them King’s College fans arriving early to grab a choice seat for the nightcap, Bowdoin and USM swapped the lead four times and were tied twice in the first half.
Bowdoin led 28-23 at the break.
points to take a 28-23 edge into the locker room.
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