FARMINGTON – A 12-1 run for Bowdoin College midway through the second half proved decisive as the Polar Bears posted a 64-47 win over UMaine-Farmington, in women’s basketball action Tuesday night at Dearborn Gymnasium.
Trailing 33-29 at the intermission, UMaine-Farmington (1-6) knotted the game at 35-35 at the 17:13 mark of the second half on a Holly Oliver (Belgrade Lakes, Maine/Messalonskee) 3-pointer. After a pair of lead trades and three ties, Oliver gave the Beavers the lead on a layup with 12:12 showing on the clock.
That would be UMaine-Farmington’s last field goal for nearly eight minutes. Bowdoin (3-3) regained the lead on a Kirsten Prue (Auburn, Maine) 3-pointer followed by a pair of Megan Phelps (Southwest Harbor, Maine) baskets, with a Nina Hadzibabic (Roslyn, N.Y.) layup capping the Polar Bears’ 7-0 run.
The Beavers’ Kenni Norton (Strong, Maine/Mt. Abram) briefly interrupted Bowdoin’s run when she hit the first of two foul shots at the 6:33 mark, leaving the Polar Bears with a 49-43 lead. After a trey by Bowdoin’s Sara Binkhorst (West Hartford, Conn.), Lindsay Ranquist (Owls Head, Maine/Medomak Valley) ended UMF’s scoring drought with a layup at the 4:19 mark to make the score 52-45 in favor of the Polar Bears.
Farmington would go 0-for-3 from the field the rest of the way, while Phelps guarded Bowdoin’s lead with a 6-for-6 effort at the free-throw line down the stretch. Kaitlyn Donohoe (Amherst, N.Y.) and Binkhorst added six more points to help the Polar Bears’ cause.
UMaine-Farmington shot 34.1 percent (15-of-44) from the field, including a 6-of-21 mark (.286) in the second half alone. Bowdoin shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) for the game. The Polar Bears also forced the Beavers into committing 22 turnovers, compared to Bowdoin’s 12 giveaways.
Bowdoin’s Phelps finished with a game-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and a 4-of-5 mark from 3-point range, to go with her eight rebounds. Donohoe finished with 16 points, while Binkhorst chipped in with 10 and four steals.
Oliver paced UMaine-Farmington with 14 points and seven boards, while Norton logged 13 points. Rachel Clement (Gray, Maine/Gray-New Gloucester) dished out five assists.
UMaine-Farmington remains at home for its final two games before the Christmas break, starting this Friday, Dec. 7, when the Beavers host New England College at 5:30 p.m. in a North Atlantic Conference game. Bowdoin will resume play on Thursday, Dec. 6, when it travels to Lewiston to face Bates College in an 8:00 p.m. contest.
