LEWISTON — When Elsa Daulerio scored her 1,000th career point for the Bates women’s basketball team on Tuesday night, it took her mother, Adrienne Shibles, back in time.
Shibles accomplished the same feat with the same program 34 years ago.
“I’m so happy for her,” said Shibles, who would go on to have a successful coaching career at Swarthmore College, Bowdoin College and Dartmouth after her career at Bates. “(When I hit the mark), I felt a lot of pressure. I was supposed to get it at Colby (College in Waterville), which would have been right in my backyard. I did not perform as well as I could have. I was feeling for her. I hope she’s not putting that pressure on her.”
Daulerio, a senior center for the Bobcats, reached the mark at an important time, hitting a put-back basket off a missed shot from Sophie Spolter with 29 seconds remaining in overtime, helping lift Bates to a 70-66 victory over the University of Southern Maine at a packed Alumni Gym. While the game was not stopped to celebrate the milestone, teammates mobbed Daulerio after the game and brought out signs celebrating her 1,000th point. Shibles, now the associate director of athletics at Bates, is a part-time assistant coach with the Bates men’s basketball team.
Daulerio finished with 16 points and now has 1,001 points in her career. She became the 22nd member of the program to reach the mark, joining her mother, who was a standout at Bates from 1987-91. Shibles finished her Bates career with 1,005 points.
“It means so much,” Daulerio said. “I love her so much. She’s been my idol since I was a little girl. I always looked up to her, and she’s been my No. 1 supporter, along with my family. It’s just so special and I’m honored to be up there with her. She’s the hardest worker I know.”
It’s rare — but not unprecedented — for a mother and daughter to score 1,000 career points in their careers.
Kristi Wildman, a standout at Stearns High School, scored 1,000 points during her career at Husson University. Her daughter, Alisyn Alley, would become a 1,000-point scorer both at Stearns and the University of Maine at Augusta.
Lynne Hasson scored 1,000 points during her career at the University of Maine (1983-87). She has two daughters, Maddie and Abby, who were both standouts at South Portland High School. Maddie scored 971 points under Shibles at Bowdoin College. Abby scored 1,000 points during her high school career. Lynne Hasson is the girls basketball coach at North Yarmouth Academy, with Abby Hasson as one of her assistants.
Izzy Allen is one of four members of her family to score 1,000 points, either in high school or in college. Allen notched 1,000 points during her high school career at Central High School in Corinth. Her mother, Sue Ann Allen, scored 1,036 points during her career at Husson, and is a member of the school’s hall of fame. Izzy Allen is currently a sophomore guard for Amy Vachon on the UMaine women’s basketball team.
Shibles was a two-time captain at Bates. She owns a 424-212 coaching record in a career that dates to 1996. During her time at Bowdoin (2008-21), Shibles led the Polar Bears to 11 trips to the NCAA Division III tournament. She’s a 2022 inductee of the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame.
Shibles said she didn’t talk with Daulerio about the milestone.
“In fact, I told Aaron (Morse, Bates associate athletic communications director), ‘Could you stop putting that in press releases?’ Shibles said. “I avoided talking to her about it. I think Elsa finds joy in the team play, in assisting the basketball, rebounding, not just scoring the basket. I know sometimes, when (the focus) is on you, it takes away from the team aspect.”
Shibles said there is no question who is the better player.
“She’s so much better,” she said. “I’m so proud of her. She’s really skilled and really good on both ends of the floor. I was really just a defensive specialist. Rebounding and defense were more of my thing. A lot of my points, I joke about it, but they really did come from bunnies, offensive rebounds, just grinding in the paint and doing the hard work. She’s got more of her dad in her, which is really great.”
“She says that all the time,” Daulerio added with a laugh. “I wish I could see her play, but I know she was one of the hardest workers. I know she has more rebounds than me, I can say that. It’s great that she says that, but we’re both good players.”
Daulerio’s father, Kirk Daulerio, scored 1,063 points at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania from 1991-95.
