Maria Belardi scored seven points in the fourth quarter as Bowdoin went on a decisive run to beat Bates 66-56 and win the NESCAC women’s basketball tournament championship on Saturday afternoon in Brunswick.
Bowdoin improves to 25-2 and earns the conference’s automatic bid in the NCAA Division III tournament. Bates ends the season 22-5. The NCAA Division III bracket will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
After a 3-pointer by Alexandra Long pulled the Bobcats within three with 9:52 left in the fourth quarter, Belardi made a layup, hit a pair of foul shots and drained a 3-pointer to give the Polar Bears a 49-41 lead.
Sydney Jones led Bowdoin with 15 points and eight rebounds. Jess Giorgio added 13 points and Carly Davey had 12.
Elsa Daulerio and Long each scored 15 points for Bates. Davina Kabantu added 14.
(1) SOUTH CAROLINA 103, KENTUCKY 55: Bree Hall scored 18 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley added 17 off the bench and the Gamecocks (27-0, 14-0 SEC) beat the Wildcats (11-17, 5-9) in Lexington, Kentucky, to clinch their third consecutive outright Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and eighth in 11 years.
(2) OHIO STATE 79, MARYLAND 66: Celeste Taylor scored 20 points and the Buckeyes (24-4, 15-1 Big Ten) clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with a win over the Terrapins (16-11, 8-8) in Columbus, Ohio.
(4) IOWA 101, ILLINOIS 85: Caitlin Clark scored 24 points on the way to her 16th career triple-double, Hannah Stuelke added 20 and the Hawkeyes (24-4, 13-3 Big Ten) defeated the Illini (13-13, 7-9) in Iowa City, Iowa.
Clark had 15 rebounds and 10 assists for her Division I-leading fifth triple-double of the season as Iowa bounced back from a loss to No. 14 Indiana. Clark, the nation’s leading scorer at 32.1 points per game, went 6 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 14 in 3-pointers.
(19) NOTRE DAME 79, BOSTON COLLEGE 55: Hannah Hidalgo scored 19 points, Maddy Westbeld added 18 and the Fighting Irish (21-6, 11-5 ACC) overcome a bad first quarter to roll past the Eagles (11-18, 3-13) in Boston.
Former Greely star Anna DeWolfe added 11 points for Notre Dame.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
ST. JOHN’S 80, (15) CREIGHTON 66: Daniss Jenkins scored a season-high 27 points and the Red Storm (16-12, 8-9 Big East) shredded the Bluejays (20-8, 11-6) in New York for their biggest victory under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
BASEBALL
ARMY 8, MAINE 2: Connor Goodman had two hits, while Jeremiah Jenkins and Zach Martin each had a double, though the Black Bears (1-5) lost to the Black Knights (4-3) in DeLand, Florida.
Noah Lewis pitched four innings for Maine, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits, while walking five and striking out two.
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