Brunswick, Maine – In what was truly a tale of two
halves, the Bowdoin College women's basketball team dominated the second half of
an 88-53 win over Trinity in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament on
Saturday. The top-seeded Polar Bears (22-2) outscored the Bantams (8-14) 48-16
in the second period and advance to host the semifinals and championship game
next weekend in Brunswick. More details will be released next week. In addition,
the victory marked the 100th win in the career of Bowdoin head coach Stefanie
Pemper, who becomes the ninth-fastest coach in Division III history to reach
the plateau (129 games).
Bowdoin led by as many as 10 points mid-way through the first half, including a
26-16 edge with seven minutes remaining. Bowdoin's Kristi Royer (Lewiston,
Maine) was unstoppable in the early going, owning the paint to the tune of
17 points and seven rebounds in the first half alone. The Bantams then closed
the gap with a flurry, going on a 19-8 run over the next five minutes and taking
a 35-34 lead on a jumper by Michelle McCaffrey with 1:30 left in the period.
Jennifer Gargiulo (Boxborough, Mass.) was key in the run, making seven of
eight free throws in the half and having 15 points before intermission.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Courtney Trotta (Sharon, Mass.) regained
the lead for Bowdoin with under a minute left, giving the Polar Bears a 40-37
lead going into the locker room.
The second half saw Trinity close to within one
point again (44-43) on a running jumper by McCaffrey at 16:30. But the Polar
Bears proceeded to absolutely explode offensively, going on a 42-4 run over the
next 12 minutes of the contest. The streak started out quietly, on a layup by
Erika Nickerson (Benton, Maine) and a pair of jump shots by Lora Trenkle
(Surrey, Maine), and ended with Bowdoin holding an 86-47 lead with just four
minutes left in thecontest. Trenkle scored all of her 17 points in the run,
hitting on six of eight shots, including two three-pointers.
Bowdoin was led by Royer's 25 points, nine rebounds and five steals, while
Trenkle ended with 17 points and four assists. Nickerson scored 16 for the Polar
Bears, while Alison Smith (Stockton Springs, Maine) also reached double
figures with 14. Trinity ended with three players in double-digits, led by
Gargiulo's 17. Michelle McCaffrey (West Springfield, Mass.) had 14 points
and nine boards, while Rebecca Bell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added 12
points and four steals.
| Teams | 1st | 2nd | OT | Final |
| Trinity, Conn. (8-14) | 37 | 16 | -- | 53 |
| Bowdoin (22-2) | 40 | 48 | -- | 88 |
SCORING
TC- Jennifer Gargiulo 5-7 7-8 17, Michelle McCaffrey 7-17 0-3 14, Rebecca Bell
5-14 (1) 1-2 12, Liz Bontempo 2-7 (1) 0-0 5, Tracy Nesbit 0-3 4-6 4, Kerri
Stumpo 0-1 1-2 1, Nicole Mauger 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals: 19-50 (2) 13-21 53.
B- Kristi Royer
11-18 3-3 25, Lora Trenkle 6-10 (2) 3-4 17, Erika Nickerson 8-16 0-0 16, Alison
Smith 6-12 (1) 1-2 14, Courtney Trotta 2-5 (2) 0-0 6, Lauren Withey 2-7 (1) 0-0
5, Vanessa Russell 1-3 (1) 0-0 3, Jess Reuben 1-1 0-2 2, Lindsay Bramwell 0-2
0-0 0, Justine Pouravelsi 0-0 0-0 0, Beth Damon 0-0 0-0 0, Kristina Fugate 0-0
0-0 0, Corinne Pellegrini 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals: 37-75 (7) 7-11 88.