NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College women's basketball team secured its first NESCAC victory of the season on Friday night in a 60-56 final over Bowdoin College at Luce Field House.

The Camels, who picked up their third straight win, improved to 7-11 overall and 1-4 in league play. Rebecca Oberman-Levine (Hamden, Conn.) led all scorers with a career-high 23 points and added four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Molly Cronin (Wellesley, Mass.) scored eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter and finished with six assists and two steals, and Jaycie Rojik (Scituate, Mass.) rounded out Conn's double-digit scorers with 10 points to go with seven boards.

Sydney Jones (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) paced Bowdoin (13-7 overall, 2-4 NESCAC) with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals.  

Conn got off to a slow start but recovered quickly, firing back with an 11-1 run. After Charlotte Head (Holden, Mass.) put the Camels on the scoreboard with 4:33 left in the quarter, Oberman-Levine supplied nine straight points as the hosts pulled in front 11-6.

The Polar Bears responded with 10 unanswered points—half of which came from Jones—in the final 1:47 of the period to lead 15-11. In the second quarter, Conn jumped in front briefly on a three-pointer by Cronin with 4:43 left, but Bowdoin scored on its next possession and took a 31-26 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Oberman-Levine drained her second three-pointer of the contest to start the second-half scoring, and four minutes later she connected on a jumper that tied the game at 35-35. She finished with nine points in the third quarter alone, and her last bucket of the period gave Conn a 41-40 edge heading into the final stanza.

The Camels opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to build the lead to nine with 6:21 to go. Cronin later buried a three to extend the margin to 11 with 3:30 remaining, but the Polar Bears came roaring back behind an 11-2 spurt that made it a one-possession game in the final seconds. However, Catie Donadio (Clinton, Conn.) calmly drained a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to seal the victory, giving Conn its first win over Bowdoin since the 1993-94 season.

Cronin took center stage in the fourth quarter, scoring eight of her team's 19 points while also playing stellar on-ball defense. She picked up both of her steals in the period, with each resulting in points on the offensive end.

Conn College will next host Colby College on Sunday, January 29 at 3:00 p.m.