DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- Senior Abby Kelly (Bombay, N.Y.) scored 20 points, recorded five steals and grabbed four rebounds as top-ranked Bowdoin overcame a three-point fourth quarter deficit to notch a 75-67 non-league college women's basketball victory over UMass Dartmouth in a battle of unbeaten Thursday evening at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The visiting Polar Bears (7-0) trailed 60-57 heading into the final frame, but Kelly's lay-in with 6:27 remaining in the contest gave Bowdoin the lead for good (64-62) as part of an 11-2 run that opened the quarter. The host Corsairs (6-1) got back to within four (68-64) on a pair of free throws by senior Jess Korzec (West Brookfield, Mass.) with 4:15 to play, but a three-pointer by senior Taylor Choate (Nashua, N.H.) along with free throws from Kelly and junior Samantha Roy (Stafford Springs, Conn.) in the final minute of action helped stretch the Polar Bear edge to nine and ice the visitors' triumph.
UMass Dartmouth raced out to a 24-17 lead after the opening quarter of play on the strength of 13 combined points from Korzec and senior Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.), and but Bowdoin battled back to take four one-point leads in the second stanza, the last coming on Kelly's three-pointer with 35 seconds to play in the half. Korzec's jumper 13 seconds later staked the Corsairs to a one-point advantage (40-39) at the break, and the hosts blistered the nets at a 69 percent clip (9-13) in the third quarter while receiving a combined 16 points from Examond and sophomore Meagan Donovan (Abington, Mass.) to take their three-point edge into the final 10 minutes of action, setting up the Polar Bears' fourth quarter heroics.
Choate finished with 18 points and three steals in the win for Bowdoin, which received 16 points and eight rebounds from junior Maddie Hasson (South Portland, Maine). Roy added 11 points and five boards for the Polar Bears, who received all but eight of its total point output from the starting quintet. The visitors shot 38 percent (24-63) from the field and held a 22-11 scoring edge at the foul line that featured a perfect 10-of-10 effort from Hasson, as Bowdoin converted 17 offensive rebounds into 16 second chance points.
Korzec led all scorers with a game-high 21 points, four assists and four rebounds in the setback for UMass Dartmouth, which received 19 points, eight caroms, three steals and two blocks from Examond on an 8-of-9 shooting effort from the floor. Donovan was also in double figures for the Corsairs with 15 points on five three-pointers, while sophomore Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.) and freshman Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) combined for 10 points for the hosts. Senior Danyel Gonzalez (Pawtucket, R.I.) grabbed six boards and dished out four assists for UMass Dartmouth, which shot 51 percent (25-49) from the field but hurt itself with 30 turnovers that the Polar Bears converted into 20 points.
UMass Dartmouth heads to Keene, N.H. on Saturday afternoon to take on Keene State in a Little East Conference outing that tips-off at 1:00 pm, while Bowdoin hosts Bates in a non-league contest on Saturday afternoon in Brunswick, Maine that tips-off at 3:00 pm.