The Bobcats hold off No. 2 Wesleyan to set up a title clash with Bowdoin, the nation’s No. 1 team.
By Amy Webb
Staff Writer

BRUNSWICK – They say it’s hard to beat a good team three times in a season. You’ve probably heard “the third time’s a charm.” We all know “three strikes and you’re out.”

All three of these clichés proved true for the Bates College women’s basketball team as the Bobcats stepped on the court Saturday afternoon against Wesleyan College in the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament.

The No. 3 Bobcats’ relentless defense forced 20 turnovers en route to a 60-51 defeat of the No. 2 Cardinals.

“Defensively I thought we did a really outstanding job tonight,” said Bates Coach Jim Murphy. “We really dug in, minimized turnovers, and executed our offense well.”

The Cardinals were held to 34 percent from the floor, a testament to the swarming Bobcats man-to-man effort.

The opening 10 minutes of the game were close, with Wesleyan taking the third lead change of the game, 16-14, on a pair of Nora Bowman free throws at the 10:30 mark. It would be the Cardinals third and final swing.

Bates went into intermission on a 10-4 run and opened the second half with seven unanswered points to take a commanding 33-20 lead with 17:27 to go.

The scorching offensive attack was led by two-time NESCAC player of the week Oliva Zurek, who hit back-to-back jumpers, connected on an extra point and completed a fast break play set up by Heather Taylor.

“They’ve beaten us twice before,” said Zurek. “We ran our offense well and played our best defense of the season, and finally showed Wesleyan our true abilities. This is a great way to go into tomorrow’s game.”

Bates (19-7) will face undefeated Bowdoin, the nation’s No. 1 team, in Brunswick Sunday at 1 p.m. in the NESCAC championship game.

Last year, the Polar Bears defeated the Bobcats 70-67 in for the title.

The Cardinals regained their composure and went on an offensive run of their own, hitting eight unanswered points during a five-minute stretch. Bates snapped the streak with a Lauren DuBois jumper and a backdoor layup from Heather Taylor, extending the lead to 52-38 with 3:24 left in the game.

“We were a completely different team this time,” said Bates rookie Meg Coffin. “We are mentally tougher and more confident than we have been all season.”

Zurek, who had a double-double in each of the regular season Wesleyan games, recorded another Saturday, posting 22 points and grabbing 10 boards. Taylor chipped in 10 points and dished out three assists. Coffin, who has earned her way into the starting lineup of this deep and talented Bobcats squad, added eight points and six boards, including two clutch baskets in the final minutes of the first half to secure a six-point advantage at the half.

Hannah Stubbs posted 16 points and nine rebounds to pace Wesleyan. Bowman tallied eight points and found teammates for six assists as the Cardinals fell to 20-4 on the season.

“It is going to take a huge effort to win tomorrow,” said Murphy. “We’re going to show up and play 40 minutes of tough Bates basketball.”