TRENKLE FREE THROWS CAP BOWDOIN COMEBACK AT TUFTS, 50-48
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Bowdoin 50 Tufts 48
Date: Saturday, February 2, 2002
At Medford
| Bowdoin (16-1, 5-1) | 24 | 26 | = | 50 |
| Tufts (9-10, 1-4) | 32 | 16 | = | 48 |
MEDFORD – Sophomore guard Lora Trenkle (Surry, ME) hit two free throws with 10 seconds left on the clock as second-ranked Bowdoin College escaped with a 50-48 victory at Tufts University in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
Host Tufts (9-10, 1-4 NESCAC) led by eight at the half and by as many as 14 early in the second half, but the Polar Bears (16-1, 5-1) rallied to tie the game at 44-44 on a jumper by junior Kristi Royer (Lewiston, ME) with 3:25 remaining. Tufts regained a small lead with free throws until another Royer jumper tied the score at 48-48 with 27 seconds left. After a Tufts miss, Trenkle was fouled and calmly swished both shots for a 50-48 Bowdoin lead, their first since 7:53 of the first half. With the clock running, Jumbo junior point guard Hillary Dunn (Medfield, MA) drove the court and dished out to senior co-captain Jayme Busnengo (Buzzards Bay, MA) for a last-second jumper from beyond the foul line that was off the mark.
It was a crushing loss for Tufts in their final home game of the regular season. After nailing four three-pointers in the first half, two each by junior Erin Harrington (Fall River, MA) and freshman Erin Connolly (Syosset, NY), they led 32-24 at the break and could smell an upset. The Jumbos then scored the first six points of the second half to take a 38-24 advantage on a layup by junior Emily Goodman (Briarcliff, NY) at 17:22. Tufts maintained a healthy lead until Bowdoin put it together in the final 10 minutes. Trailing by 12, 44-32, with 10:29 left, the Polar Bears scored the next 12 points to tie the score at 44-44 on Royer's jumper. Senior tri-captain Jessie Mayol (Westbrook, ME) scored eight points during the run. The Bears then got it done down the stretch.
The win was the seventh straight in the series for Bowdoin over Tufts. Both teams shot below 30 percent for the game, and the victors were just one for 18 from three-point territory. They narrowly avoided their second straight loss after opening the season with 15 straight wins. Bowdoin suffered a 56-54 defeat at Bates on Friday night. Trenkle led the Polar Bears at Tufts with 12 points, while Royer added 11.
The Jumbos, who also had a last-second chance to tie the score in a 64-61 loss to Colby on Friday night, were led by 12 points and 13 rebounds by Goodman. Harrington finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
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