BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England women's basketball team raced out to a 35-5 during the first half against Bowdoin College, on its way to a 72-32 non-conference win on Tuesday evening (Nov. 20) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

With the triumph, the Nor'easters (2-1) brought a 17-year drought against the Polar Bears (1-2), having suffered one setback per year since the 1994-95 season. Each of the last 12 meetings had been decided by somewhere between 14 and 52 points in favor of the Bowdoin.

Senior forward Beth Suggs (Bath, Maine) went for 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor and pulled in 11 rebounds to lead Big Blue. First-year point guard Meghan Gribbin (Windham, Maine) added 13 points -- 11 in the 1st half -- going 6-of-9 on field goal tries.

First-year guard Michaela Flanagan (Plymouth, Mass.) chipped in with nine points off the bench, and fellow rookie guard Lauren Hayden (Chantilly, Va.) put together a solid all-around performance with six points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals.

Things were tied at 3-3 in the early-going until a Flanagan layup with 5:40 gone put the hosts in front for good. UNE rattled off 30 of the next 32 points to build a huge cushion by the 2:46 mark. The last three points of the half went for Bowdoin to make the score 35-8 at intermission.

The Nor'easters forced 20 Polar Bear turnovers in the opening stanza, and held their opponents to just 14.3 percent (3 of 21) shooting.

UNE's advantage peaked at 43 (62-19) midway through the second as Big Blue continued to control the play.

Bowdoin was paced by junior forward Anna Prohl (New London, N.H.) with seven points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Megan Phelps (Southwest Harbor, Maine) finished with five points, seven rebounds, and four steals.

The Nor'easters return to action next Wednesday (Nov. 28) as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) schedule gets underway with a home date against Wentworth Institute of Technology (5:30 p.m.).

The Polar Bears are back at home next Tuesday for a match with the University of Southern Maine.


Click HERE to view the post-game interview with Beth Suggs and Meghan Gribbin