One bad quarter.
That’s what cost the Bowdoin College women’s basketball team a chance to win its first national championship. The Smith College Pioneers from Northampton, Mass. outscored Bowdoin 18-8 in the third period of last Friday’s final 16 matchup at the Morrell Gym in Bowdoin and never looked back en route to a 53-47 victory.
The 30-2 Pioneers then beat Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) 61-50 on Saturday’s for their 11th straight win and a trip to the Final Four in Salem, Va. where they will meet Wisconsin-Oshkosh (27-4) in Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal.
Defending champ New York University (29-0) will meet Wisconsin-Stout (23-7) in the 5 p.m. opener.
Bowdoin wound up 29-1.
Friday’s game marked the second straight year that Smith eliminated Bowdoin on Bowdoin’s home court. Last year, it was in the regional final. Smith won that game 52-47. Interestingly, Smith had bested Wisconsin-Oshkosh 61-59 the previous night.
Last Friday, Smith sophomore guard Hannah Martin scored 12 of her team-high 16 points in that third quarter. Smith closed out the period with a 12-3 run to take an eight-point lead into the final quarter.
Bowdoin couldn’t get any closer than five until senior guard Sydney Jones hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining to make it 51-47.
But Martin sank two free throws to sew up the win.
The Pioneers went 7-for-12 from the floor in the third period while Bowdoin shot just 3-for-15.
Bowdoin also turned the ball over four times and was outrebounded 10-6.
Martin finished with three rebounds and two assists to go with her 16 points.
Senior guard Jane Loo had 12 points and six rebounds and sophomore guard-forward Virginia Johnson had eight points and seven rebounds for the winning Pioneers.
Smith graduate student guard Ally Landau produced seven points, six rebounds and two blocked shots and senior forward Jazmyn Washington had a game-high 10 rebounds to go with four points and two steals.
New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jones had an outstanding game for Bowdoin.
She finished with a game-high 19 points and four steals along with nine rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
Bowdoin Freshman guard Grace Kinum had 11 points and six rebounds and junior guard Carly Davey had seven points, three rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard-forward Melisssa Leone had five points and four rebounds.
