Box Score
By
EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary’s Sports Information Office
ROCHESTER, Minn. — For the second time in program history—and the first time since 2004—the Bowdoin women’s basketball team is headed to the national championship.
The Polar Bears posted a decisive 90-62 victory over previously undefeated Wartburg Friday evening at the Mayo Civic Center, continuing their streak as the only team in the Division III tournament to defeat every opponent by double figures.
“(Saturday) is our last game of the season no matter what,” said Bowdoin junior Abby Kelly (Bombay, N.Y.), who, along with her teammates, will get another crack at defending national champion Amherst in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. NCAA Division III national title game. “We have to bring our best, and it all starts with tip-off.”
The Polar Bears came out firing, scoring the game’s first four points. Wartburg’s Morgan Neuendorf (Shell Rock, Iowa) answered with a 3-pointer to bring the Knights back within one.
But one point would be the closest Knights would get in the first quarter, as the Polar Bears matched the Knights’ cold performance from the field with an equally hot performance, going 12-for-22 from the field to Wartburg’s 4-for-12.
In fact, less than halfway through the first quarter, the Polar Bears had extended their lead to 10, 18-8. This was in the midst of what would eventually be an 11-0 run, which came to an end with a sole free throw by Wartburg’s Miranda Murphy (Alleman, Iowa).
The Polar Bears, who kept the Knights off the board for almost four minutes in the opening 10 minutes—and grabbed a commanding 28-12 lead heading to the second quarter.
Determined to keep her team in the fight, the Knights’ Katie Sommer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) started the second quarter off with a 3-pointer—in what would prove to be a trend in the game’s second 10-minute stanza. The Polar Bears answered with two 3-pointers of their own and Wartburg’s Aryn Jones (Marion, Iowa) replied with a 3-point play.
Wartburg would go on to score six unanswered points, knocking the Polar Bears’ lead down to 25-39, but that 14-point margin was the smallest lead the Polar Bears would hold for the remainder of the first half. Kelly, meanwhile, had an explosive second quarter, scoring 16 points and leading her team into the locker rooms for halftime holding a steady 46-31 lead.
Katie Sommer’s twin sister, Kristie, would open up the second half with some offense of her own, draining a 3-pointer in the game’s first minute. The Knights would knock the Polar Bears’ lead all the way down to 10 points, 38-48, thanks to two layups by Murphy.
But Bowdoin managed to keep their heads amidst earsplitting cheers from Wartburg’s well-traveled crowd, and Kelly stayed hot, knocking down another four points and sending the ball out to Lauren Petit (Medfield, Mass.) behind the arc to extend the Polar Bear lead to 55-40. The Polar Bears’ Maddie Hasson (South Portland, Maine) added a 3-point pay of her own and was followed by a layup by Taylor Choate (Nashua, N.H.) as the Polar Bears found themselves ahead by 20 points.
“Bowdoin exposed us in ways I couldn’t even imagine,” said Wartburg head coach Bob Amsberry. “They were better than us, and they deserve it.”
The Polar Bears dominated the third quarter building their lead to a decisive 72-49—and that would continue in the game’s final frame, as the Polar Bears never let the Knights draw within less than 19 points.
When the dust settled, the Polar Bears nearly matched their average score differential of 28.5 points, defeating the Knights 90-2.
Kelly finished with 23 points for the Polar Bears, while Petit followed with 16 points and Choate finished with 12. The Knights were lead by Katie Sommer, who had 16 points, and Murphy, who had 12.
