NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team closed to within seven in the fourth quarter before visiting No. 6 Bowdoin College pulled away for a 66-46 victory this afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 1-5 on the season, while the Polar Bears improve to a perfect 3-0.
Wheaton held Bowdoin to just 39.3% (22-56) shooting for the game and held its guests under 40% in each of the first three quarters of play. The Lyons opened the game with a 50% (6-12) shooting mark in the opening quarter, before finishing the afternoon with a 32.1% (18-56) rate, including 1-13 (7.7%) from three-point range. The teams combined for 40 turnovers, including 22 from Wheaton. The Polar Bears held a 42-32 rebounding advantage.
Wheaton was led by senior guard Abby Fernandes (Assonet, Mass.) with 14 points on 7-13 shooting, while collecting six rebounds and blocking a shot to go with a steal and an assist. Fernandes has scored in double figures in five of the home team's six games. Senior guard Greta Minos (Boston, Mass.) and junior guard Kiki Walters (Fleetwood, Pa.) both contributed with eight points, five rebounds and a steal apiece.
Junior forward Abbie Quinn (Bangor, Maine) scored 15 points to lead Bowdoin and also pulled down seven rebounds, handed out two assists, made a steal and blocked a shot. Two other Polar Bear's scored in double-figures with junior guard Rachel Storey (Westport, N.Y.) and senior forward Callie Godfrey (Cheshire, Conn.) each scoring 10 points. Storey was 3-4 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in 21 minutes off the bench, while Godfrey ripped down a game-high eight boards and dished out two assists.
Bowdoin jumped out to an 11-4 lead at the 6:11 mark to start the game, thanks to five early points from Quinn. The Lyons roared back with eight straight points to take a 12-11 edge following a free throw from senior forward Mireille Tona (Portland, Maine) with just under two minutes to play. The teams eventually finished the opening quarter squared up at 14-14.
The nationally-ranked Polar Bears looked to make a statement in the second quarter, going on a 9-0 run to begin the period and later maintained a 28-18 margin after a layup from Quinn at the 4:25 mark. Wheaton refused to lay down, pulling within four points after Walters capped a 6-0 burst with a layup with 71 seconds to go in the first half to make it 30-26. Junior guard Maddie Wilkin (London, England) converted a layup with nine ticks left in the half to give Bowdoin a six-point cushion heading into the intermission.
The Polar Bears kept the Lyons at a distance throughout the third quarter and increased their advantage to 49-34 with three minutes remaining in the period after Storey made a layup. Bowdoin maintained its double-digit lead at 49-38 when the horn sounded to end the quarter.
The Lyons scored the first four points of the fourth quarter with layups from Walters and sophomore guard Mary McClintock (Essex Junction, Vt.) to cut the deficit to seven (49-42) with 7:36 showing in the period. The Polar Bears put any hope of an upset to rest after they erupted for 14 unanswered points to put the game out of reach at 63-42 with under three minutes remaining in the contest.
Wheaton takes the floor again when it hosts Johnson & Wales University at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26, while Bowdoin will be on the road again as it travels to University of Maine Presque Isle for a 5:00 p.m. tip on November 25.
