Women's wrap: Top teams roll, but Amherst stumbles

More news about: Bowdoin
Jan 31, 2015
Shannon Brady scored 21 points on 10-for-17 shooting off the bench to lead the Polar Bears.
Bowdoin athletics file photo

Shannon Brady came off the bench to score 21 points and added 10 rebounds to help No. 24 Bowdoin defeat No. 6 Amherst 60-51. 

Bowdoin took the lead with a Megan Phelps 3-pointer five and a half minutes into the game and never relinquished it. The Polar Bears led by double-digits for most of the game in winning their 15th consecutive game.

It's Bowdoin's first win vs. Amherst since 2009.

The top five teams all rolled, as usual. Sydney Moss scored a game-high 22 points in only 19 minutes of action for No. 2 Thomas More in an 88-50 win over Westminster (Pa.). Jenna Dockter had 13 points to lead No. 3 St. Thomas to a 60-37 win over Augsburg. And Melissa Baptista scored a game-high 27 points off the bench for fourth-ranked Tufts in a 77-53 win vs. Wesleyan. No. 5 George Fox remained undefeated as well, getting a double-double from Lauren Coding in an 82-51 win vs. Linfield.

No. 16 Wheaton (Ill.) solved the puzzle of the System, crushing No. 21 North Central 109-60. Hannah Considine had another big day vs. the Cardinals, putting up 26 points and 15 rebounds in the victory. North Central was just 6-for-44 from beyond the arc, while Wheaton was 8-for-19 as the first opponent to make more 3-pointers than the Cardinals.

No. 19 John Carroll bounced back from Wednesday's loss by defeating Ohio Northern 63-49, moving into a tie at the top of the Ohio Athletic Conference with the Polar Bears. Katlyn Spahar scored 27 points for JCU, shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from behind the arc. "It's a great feeling, especially coming off of a loss at Heidelberg," Spahar said. "What defines us is what we do after a big loss, so I think today was a great team win."

No. 7 Calvin shot the lights out in the first half, with a 10-for-18 performance from beyond the arc. The Knights rolled up a 43-19 lead at half en route to a 67-52 win at Trine. 13th-ranked Hope had similar results with a 72-47 win against overmatched St. Mary's (Ind.).

Two days after they couldn't hold onto a 16-point second-half lead, UMass Boston (12-7, 5-4 Little East) hit 11 of their final 12 free throws down the stretch, to earn a season-sweep of defending conference champion Rhode Island College (6-13, 4-5) with a 62-55 road win.

Eastern Mennonite took over sole possession of first place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference as the Royals defeated Virginia Wesleyan 82-74. The win, combined with Randolph-Macon's home loss to Lynchburg, puts EMU a game ahead of both R-MC and Lynchburg in the conference standings with seven games remaining.

St. Norbert opened its lead in the Midwest Conference standings to two games following a 75-62 win over Carroll on Connie Tilley Court at Schuldes Sports Center. Heidi Van Sistine finished with 23 points to lead St. Norbert, while Brianna Byrne added 17 points. ... Amanda Hawkesworth dominated the paint for a career-high 36 points and 24 rebounds as Regis (Mass.) defeated Daniel Webster 90-67. The Pride remains unbeaten in the NECC. ... Andrea Meinert rebounded a missed shot and converted the putback with no time left on the clock to help UW-Whitewater defeat UW-La Crosse 56-54. The Warhawks improved to 9-11 after winning 26 and 27 games the past two seasons. ... Crown won a second conference game for the first time in its entire history in Division III, defeating North Central (Minn.) 57-55. The Storm had lost 116 consecutive UMAC games before beating Northland last week.