COLLEGE WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL FINAL SCORE
Bowdoin 73
Tufts 56
At Medford
Saturday, January 14, 2006
MEDFORD – Bowdoin College junior Eileen Flaherty (Fairfield, CT) scored 24 points and the Polar Bears shot 50.8 percent (30/59) from the floor in a 73-56 victory over Tufts University in NESCAC women's basketball action at Cousens Gym on Saturday afternoon.
Flaherty, who scored on 9 of 14 shots, was joined by senior tri-captain Justin Pouravelis (Old Orchard Beach, MA) as Polar Bear sharp-shooters. Pouravelis hit 7 of 8 shots and finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Bowdoin (12-2, 1-1 NESCAC), ranked second in the USA Today Division III poll, got back on track after a loss to Bates on Friday night.
Tufts was led by 14 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench by senior tri-captain Julia Verplank (Zeeland, MI). Junior Valerie Krah (Mountain Lakes, NJ) hit for 13 points, including three three-pointers. The Jumbos dropped to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Bowdoin led by 11, 23-12, 10 minutes into the first half following a lay-up by Flaherty. Tufts then scored the next 11 points, seven by Krah, to tie the game up at 23-23 with 6:22 on the clock. Bowdoin answered with a 14-2 stretch to close the half and establish a 37-25 advantage at the break. Flaherty, who had 10 points at halftime, and Pouravelis, who had nine, each scored four during the closing run. Krah had eight points at the break for the Jumbos.
Despite going up by 20 twice in the second half, the Polar Bears weren't quite able to put the Jumbos away. Bowdoin was up 47-27 after opening the second half 12-4 led by six Flaherty points. With the visitors leading 49-29, the Jumbos were twice able to reduce the margin to single-digits behind the inspired play of Verplank. She had 12 of her 14 points in the second half and Tufts trailed by nine, 55-46, with a lay-up by senior tri-captain Jessica Powers (Massapequa, NY) at 9:19.
The Polar Bears, showing the poise of a team that has won five straight NESCAC championships, again put together a clutch run (12-3) that opened up an 18-point, 67-49 lead on a Pouravelis lay-up at 4:07. Flaherty again was at the center of the spurt with six points, leading her team to the victory.
Bowdoin finished with 22 steals on 27 Tufts turnovers, leading to 31 Bowdoin points. Sophomore Marisa Berne (Falmouth, ME) had four steals to go with eight points and four rebounds. The Bears finished the second half with a sizzling 55.6 shooting percentage (15/27).
Powers added nine points and three assists for Tufts, who also got six points, three rebounds and three steals from junior forward Laura Jasinski (Leverett, MA). Led by Verplank, the Tufts bench made a significant contribution. Sophomore Khalilah Ummah (Litchfield, ME) submitted five points and six rebounds.
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