BOSTON, Mass. – Bowdoin College's senior guard Kaitlin Donahoe (Amherst, N.Y.) drove baseline with 9 seconds remaining for the winning bucket in a 65-63 win over Emmanuel College on Monday night. The non-conference game played in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center was the first game of the second semester for the host Saints, who dropped their third-straight contest with the loss. The Saints now stand at 8-4 on the season, while Bowdoin improved to 7-4 overall. Over the past ten years, Emmanuel has gone 3-9 against Bowdoin, with the Polar Bears victorious in the last three meetings with the Saints.
Emmanuel opened with an early lead, but the Polar Bears utilized their inside game, capitalizing on consecutive lay-ups from Anna Prohl (New London, N.H.) and Shannon Brady (Scituate, Mass.) to knot the score at 6-all. Back-to-back hoops on the break from Emmanuel's Vanessa Bramante (Stoneham, Mass.) and Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) put the Saints back out in front, 10-6, and forced a Bowdoin full timeout with 13:57 left in the half.
Despite one Polar Bear free throw over the next three minutes, the Saints continued to hold the momentum. Sophomore guard Britni Mikulanecz (Portland, Me.) scored on the break, followed by a deep three from O'Dwyer and a lay-up by Bramante, forcing another Bowdoin timeout with the Saints up ten, 17-7.
A trifecta from the top of the key by Sara Binkhorst (West Hartford, Conn.) put an end to a 9-1 run by the Saints and Bowdoin trailed 19-10 at the ten-minute mark. The Saints struggled in their transition defense, but maintained a double-figure lead, forcing a third Bowdoin timeout with Emmanuel up 26-15 and 6:33 on the clock.
The Saints picked up their 10th team foul with five minutes to go in the half and Polar Bear free throws cut the visitors' deficit to seven at 26-19. With time winding down in the half, turnovers began to plague both teams. After Emmanuel's 13th first-half foul, Prohl sunk a pair of freebies for Bowdoin and the Polar Bears headed into halftime trailing, 30-24.
Prohl led all scorers at the break with 12 points for Bowdoin. O'Dwyer led the Saints with 9 points and 5 boards. Emmanuel out-rebounded Bowdoin, 22-17, in the first half.
The Polar Bears opened the second stanza on a 9-3 run. A baseline three-ball by Binkhorst and a jumper by Kristen Prue (Auburn, Me.) made it a two point game at 33-31. Prohl then laid one in off an inbounds play and tied the game at 33-all with 16 minutes remaining. A three-pointer by Donahoe gave Bowdoin their first lead of the game at 39-38 with under thirteen minutes to go. Two more Bowdoin buckets pushed the visitor lead to five, 43-38, and forced an Emmanuel timeout with 11:25 on the clock.
The Polar Bears went up by seven, when Prohl connected on an and-one and Bowdoin led 47-40 with 9:45 left to play. O'Dwyer then turned up the heat for Emmanuel, scoring twice down low, before Mikulanecz found Liz Daley (Sharon, Mass.) on the break and the Saints trailed 50-47 with seven minutes remaining.
Sophomore forward Megan Phelps (Southwest Harbor, Me.) dropped her first hoops of the night, sinking a trifecta and a mid-range jumper to give the Polar Bears a 60-51 advantage and forcing an Emmanuel timeout just under the five-minute mark.
The two teams played scoreless ball for the next three minutes, before Bria Tiro (Saugus, Mass.) broke the ice for the Saints with a three from the right wing with 1:56 to go. Mikulanecz scored on the break and Lena Negri (Arlington, Va.) connected on a put-back, making it a two point game at 60-58. Donahoe then drained a pair of free throws for Bowdoin, before Laura Benventuo (Wyckoff, N.J.) laid one in for the Saints, bringing the spread to 62-60 with under a minute to go.
Donahoe was sent back to the line with 39.6 seconds on the clock, but made just one of two (63-60). Emmanuel was unsuccessful on its next possession and Bowdoin missed two free throw attempts. Benvenuto then found Tiro open in the corner and the sophomore guard drilled a three to tie it at 63-all with 18 seconds left. The Polar Bears wasted no time, going end to end, with Donahoe connecting on a baseline drive for the winning hoop with just 9 seconds left. The Saints couldn't connect on their final attempt and Bowdoin held on for the 65-63 win.
Donahoe, who scored the final five points for Bowdoin, led the Polar Bears with 26 points, including hitting 10 of 13 from the line. Prohl finished with 18 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Phelps chipped in with 5 points and 8 boards in the win.
O'Dwyer recorded a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Benvenuto scored 6 points to go along with her 7 rebounds and game-high 6 assists. Mikulanecz added 8 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in the effort for Emmanuel.
Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with Emmanuel shooting 45% (9-20) and Bowdoin shooting 55.2% (16-29). The two squads committed 15 turnovers apiece. Emmanuel won the battle of the boards, 48-40.
The Saints will be back in action this Saturday, when they host Albertus Magnus College in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener. Game time is set for 1:00 PM. Bowdoin will host Tufts University on Friday night in an 8:00 PM NESCAC contest.