Bowdoin players celebrate a basket in the fourth quarter. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

BRUNSWICK — Maria Belardi found her shot at the right time.

Belardi, a junior guard, scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter to lead the Bowdoin women’s basketball team to a 67-54 win over SUNY Cortland in an NCAA Division III second-round game Saturday night in front of a packed house at Morrell Gym.

Senior guard Sydney Jones led the Polar Bears with 17 points, while junior point guard Carly Davey scored 13. Bowdoin (29-0) moves on to the Sweet 16 and will meet Smith (28-2) in the third round on Friday. The time and location has yet to be determined. Smith knocked Bowdoin out of last year’s tournament in the quarterfinals, 52-47.

“We’re incredibly thrilled,” said Bowdoin coach Megan Phelps. “Cortland is an incredible basketball team. Their coaches do such a great job. They gave us everything we could handle. But we’re one of 16 basketball teams that get to practice next week, and we certainly feel incredibly blessed to have that opportunity.”

Sophomore guard Jackie Funk led Cortland (25-4) with 18 points. Sophomore forward Joleen Lusk added 12.

With the score tied 44-44 entering the fourth quarter, Belardi knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner, putting the Polar Bears in front for good. She also hit a 3-pointer with four minutes left, starting a 7-0 run that helped seal the game.

“I just kind of went through the mindset of, ‘These games are make or break.'” Belardi said. “‘Let’s just go out and have fun.'”

Cortland was 4 for 12 from the field in the fourth quarter and struggled with its 3-point shot throughout the game.

“I think if we have a better offensive night, we win this game,” Cortland coach Colleen Ames said. “Shooting 18 percent from (3-point range), you can’t really do that. Only getting to the free-throw line once in the fourth quarter, that’s tough on us, too. With a better offensive night, I think we win.

“We battled them really hard. Bowdoin is great, extremely disciplined and well coached. Sydney Jones is an amazing leader, does a great job keeping them composed. They had that leadership and experience that we lacked today.”

Belardi’s play was needed at a key time for Bowdoin. Jones, the two-time New England Small College Athletic Conference Player of the Year, got her fourth foul near the end of the third quarter and started the fourth on the bench. Belardi received help from Davey, who at 5-foot-4 showed no fear driving the lane. She scored five points in the fourth quarter, three from the foul line.

“This year has been as good as it can be for me with the team that’s around me,” Jones said. “The work that they put in, the intensity that they have, day in and day out. I can be annoying sometimes, but they rise to the occasion, and I wouldn’t want to play with any other group.”

Cortland took an early 7-3 lead, but a 3-pointer by Callie Godfrey and two free throws from Davey gave the Polar Bears an 8-7 advantage. Bowdoin then held the lead until late in the second quarter.

Jones scored 12 of her 17 points in the first half, nailing two 3-pointers. She and Godfrey led the Polar Bears on the boards, each grabbing four rebounds in the first half.

Bowdoin was up 26-20 with 5:49 left in the second quarter, but the Red Dragons pulled even with a 6-0 run over the next four minutes. A 3-pointer from Sam Dembinsky with 1:10 left tied the game. The Polar Bears went to the locker room with a 28-26 lead, thanks to a last-second steal by Jones and layup by Grace Kinum.

Kinum, a freshman guard, provided needed help off the bench, scoring 12 points. She also led the Polar Bears with three steals.

“Grace has been a consistent player for us for the entire year,” Jones said. “It’s crazy that she’s a freshman.”

Saturday was the second time in program history that Bowdoin faced the Red Dragons. Cortland won 70-66 during the 2022-23 season.