Top-ranked Bowdoin overcomes an 11-point deficit to edge No. 2 USM.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

BRUNSWICK – The thud that echoed through Morrell Gymnasium Friday night may have sounded like the playoff hopes of the Bowdoin College women’s basketball team taking a hard tumble.

When USM’s Donna Cowing hit the floor hard after a 3-pointer and converted a four-point play that put the Huskies in a comfortable position, the Polar Bears season seemed to be down for the count. Still, Bowdoin managed to get back up after falling behind by 11 and rallied to earn a 59-55 NCAA Division III sectional semifinal win in front of a sellout crowd of over 2,100.

“I never lost faith in our team,” said Bowdoin coach Stefanie Pemper. “When they made that comeback, with two minutes to go, I actually said to myself “I don’t care if we lose. This is an awesome game and an amazing gut-check in an awesome environment.” It was easy to just relax.”

The victory, in front of the largest crowd in Morrell Gymnasium’s history advanced unbeaten Bowdoin (28-0) to Saturday’s championship game. Bowdoin will host Scranton at 5 p.m.

Bowdoin managed to produce a 13-2 run, including 11 straight points to get them back into the game. Then as the two teams exchanged baskets in a flurry of toe-to-toe basketball, the Polar Bears managed to outexecute the Huskies (29-2) when it mattered most.

“I think they executed very well,” said USM coach Gary Fifield. “There was a two or three minute stretch where we were just trading baskets. It had to be great for the fans to watch. The last two minutes, we took some bad shots, and they stayed very composed. They’re an experienced team, but they’re also a very intelligent team.”

After Lora Trenkle had tied it with a one-hander through the lane with 2:32 left, USM’s Ashley Marble had a drive and couldn’t get her shot to drop. Bowdoin’s Eileen Flaherty came up with the rebound and was fouled. She hit both shots and put the Polar Bears up for good.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said USM ‘s Megan Myles, who led the Huskies with 23 points and seven rebounds. “We just tried to answer right back, and we just didn’t get it done on the defensive end. Their experience showed on us. “

After the two teams traded misses, Trenkle hit a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left to keep the Polar Bears in command. Though USM’s Katie Sibley managed baskets that cut the deficit to a single basket twice, a Justine Pouravelis touchdown pass to Trenkle for a breakaway hoop on a press breaker and two Trenkle free throws with 15 seconds left kept the Huskies at bay.

“We didn’t have enough tough games to have to execute down the stretch,” said Fifield.

When Cowing hit her 3-pointer and was fouled with 10:10 left in the game, it put the Huskies up by 11 and in firm command. Bowdoin had struggled offensively, scoring just five points through a span of over 16 minutes. The Polar Bears started the second half shooting 2-for-13 from the floor.

“I don’t think you ever feel confident in a game of this magnitude,” said Fifield. “Certainly, we’d rather be up by eleven than be down eleven.”

The offense that Bowdoin had lacked for much of the second half, suddenly came to life and produced the rally. The Polar Bears found their inside-outside game again and started to produced offensively.

“I think it was just that we weren’t getting it into the post,” said Trenkle. “That’s kind of what put us down by eleven. Justine (Pouravelis) just has great moves in the post. She’s so agile and she plays so smart.”

Trenkle finished with 22 points, including eight over the final two-plus minutes. Pouravelis added 14 points and 12 rebounds.

A Kristina Fugate rebound started the comeback. After Trenkle hit a 3, Flaherty fed Alison Smith inside. Trenkle set up Pouravelis to get them within two before a pair of Flaherty free throws tied it at 45-45 with 5:39 left.

From there, it was a shootout and the Huskies just couldn’t keep pace.

“USM was easily the toughest team we saw this year,” said Pemper. “We owe them a lot of credit for bringing out what we were able to achieve.”