The Brandeis University women's basketball team ended their
season in exciting fashion tonight, taking the host Bowdoin College
Polar Bears' 70-game home winning streak to the brink before
falling, 59-56, in the second round of the NCAA Division III
women's basketball tournament.
Brandeis (20-5) saw its own 30-game non-conference and seven-game
postseason streaks snapped as Jaime Capra's (Old Bridge, N.J.)
desperation midcourt 3-pointer hit the rim and went awry. The
Judges fell behind early, 12-2, to start the game, but answered
with a 15-7 run of their own to climb within two with 7:17 left on
a Christine Clancy (Yarmouth, Maine) jumper. Bowdoin's fast-break
offense clicked at the end of the half, and the Polar Bears rode a
6-0 run to an eight-point halftime lead, 30-22.
The second stanza was a cat-and-mouse game, as the Judges climbed
within three points on four different occasions, but Bowdoin went
on a mini-run, taking a 45-37 lead on a lay-up by senior Justine
Pouravelis (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) with 9:54 remaining. Brandeis
answered with an 8-2 run over their own, getting to within 47-45
with 7:21 left on Caitlin Malcolm's (Windsor Locks, N.J.) jumper.
The teams went into an extended offensive funk, going almost three
minutes before the Polar Bears extended the lead back to four
despite four Brandeis attempts to tie the contest.
Brandeis finally tied the score at 56-56 when Alison Chase
(Farmington, Conn.) drained a trifecta from the corner with 1:31 on
the clock, but the Polar Bears answered as Pouravelis took a feed
from Vanessa Russell (Tewksbury, Mass.) and went up-and-under the
Brandeis defense for what proved to be the game-winner. Brandeis
twice in the final minute was able to penetrate into the post, but
were unable to draw a foul. Bowdoin missed three of four foul shots
in the final minute, but Brandeis was unable to take advantage.
The Judges were led by 14 points each from Chase and Malcolm. Chase
hit six-of-nine from the floor with two 3-pointers, including the
key hoop at the end of the contest. Malcolm scored 12 of her 14
points in the second half, hitting five-of-seven from the floor
after the break. Malcolm and Clancy tied for team-high honors with
six rebounds, while senior Amanda Demartino (Toms River, N.J.)
ended her career with a game-high five assists.
Junior Eileen Flaherty (Fairfield, Conn.) led all scorers with 18
points, 11 in the first half. She scored 10 of the Polar Bears'
first 12 points and also led all players with nine rebounds.
Pouravelis added 13 poinrs and sophomore Marissa Berne (Falmouth,
Maine) had 10. Bowdoin outrebounded Brandeis, 40-27, including 17-4
on the offensive glass.