By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

LEWISTON -The 900 folks jammed into each nook and cranny of Alumni Gym on Sunday already knew that Bowdoin College has hoarded some of the best women’s basketball talent in NCAA Division III.

In winning the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship for the sixth consecutive year, 68-58 over host and top-seeded Bates, Bowdoin demonstrated a little brain power, too.

Specifically, the Polar Bears proved they recognize the distinction between playing lousy and shooting poorly. Undaunted by its dysfunctional relationship with the rims in the first half, Bowdoin exhibited the brazenness of burglars and confidence of high-stakes poker players and just kept firing away.

Bowdoin went 6-for-7 from 3-point range in the second half and overcame early deficits of 10-0 and 20-7 to stay perfect in the NESCAC tournament since it was introduced in 2001. Thanks to a regular-season loss at Bates, this marked the first time Bowdoin ever had to hit the road to win the title and clinch the conference’s automatic NCAA playoff berth.

“We play our best basketball when we’re having fun,” said senior Justine Pouravelis, who breathed life into Bowdoin with her customary all-around game of 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. “We talked at halftime about how (Bates) is a younger team than we are, that they were probably going to tighten up and let’s not change too many things.”

Junior guard Julia Loonin produced her entire output of 17 points in the second half, and sophomore Marisa Berne knocked down three of her four 3-pointers after the break on her way to a team-high 18 points for the Polar Bears. Eileen Flaherty added 14.

As one of the consensus top five teams in the nation, Bowdoin (24-2) is virtually guaranteed to host a sub-regional next weekend. The Polar Bears sport a New England Division III record 67-game winning streak at home and snapped Bates’ 23-game run without a speed bump at Alumni.

Bates (19-8) lost for only the third time since Dec. 22 and must await the announcement of at-large bids and tournament pairings early Monday morning. The Bobcats lost two of three to Bowdoin and also dropped a road decision at No. 1 Southern Maine.

“If I were the NCAA committee, I wouldn’t take us. We have eight losses,” said Bates coach Jim Murphy. “If you look at how many teams have ever gotten in after losing eight games, I know it isn’t many.”

Sarah Barton scored 15 points and dished out seven assists for Bates. Meg Coffin contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, but the Bobcats’ go-to presence in the middle didn’t even attempt a field goal in the first half.

Coffin picked up her third foul with 5:29 remaining in the first half and acquired her fourth on an over-the-back call with 13:57 left in the game.

Both teams had to take some comfort from the halftime score. Bates rolled up a modest 26-19 advantage without any offense from its all-conference center, while Bowdoin couldn’t complain about a seven-point gap after stumbling to 1-for-14 from long range.

“I think being down seven without hitting any threes, we knew we were going to win at that point,” Loonin said. “We were playing great defense, and we knew we couldn’t shoot any worse.”

Pouravelis, known more for being a pest in the paint at both ends, got the Bowdoin bench rocking with an early foul-line jumper.

“We needed a big shot and that was probably it,” said Bowdoin coach Stefanie Pemper. “She makes those in practice and in drills. We always figured if she ever hit one in a game, it would be a buzzer-beater.”

Loonin added another building block to the comeback by nailing the first of her two 3-pointers less than two minutes later. Loonin, Katie Cummings and Rumford’s Alexa Kaubris each made a steal for Bowdoin to fuel what escalated into a 14-4 run.

Kaubris’ drive and off-balance bank shot gave the Polar Bears the lead for good at 31-30 with 13:47 to play. The freshman and Dirigo High product gave Bowdoin an immense spark off the bench with seven second-half points and four assists.

“Even at halftime, we kept talking about how they were going to attack, attack, attack. Every loose ball, it seems like Bowdoin gets,” said Murphy. “They are physically and mentally the toughest team we play, year in and year out.”

Bates closed within a point three more times, the last at 45-44 on Barton’s 3-pointer with 8:23 to go. Loonin immediately answered with a trey. By the time Berne swished another with 2:30 left, Bowdoin’s lead was 60-48.