ECSU holds off Bowdoin Trenkle, Smith strong in loss

WILKES BARRE, Pa. – All-American forward Allison Coleman’s 21-point, nine-rebound, five-assist game was just a bit too much for Bowdoin College to overcome as the Polar Bears came up 11 points short of an NCAA Division II final four appearance.

Eastern Connecticut State University’s Warriors never trailed in the final 10 minutes, but Bowdoin made them sweat out the final minutes before ECSU posted a 58-47 win in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast sectional final at Scandlon Gymnasium on Saturday.

George Stevens Academy alumna Lora Trenkle scored 18 points and Kristi Royer added 16 to lead the Polar Bears. Bangor’s Alison Smith grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and also led her team with four assists.

The 27-4 Warriors outrebounded the Bears 48-42 and outshot them 35.5 to 28.6 percent from the floor in the game.

Deanne Prior had 10 points and five rebounds for the Warriors, and Morgan Perry grabbed 10 boards.

Bowdoin held a 36-35 lead with 10:09 left, but two free throws by Katie Kline put the Warriors ahead for good.

ECSU’s lead got no higher than seven points through the next 81/2 minutes, but Prior helped stave off any Bowdoin rally as she scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, and made a steal in the final five minutes.

Kline and Prior each scored four points in a decisive 10-2 run that began with 12 minutes left and ended five minutes later. The run gave ECSU a 45-38 lead with seven minutes left, although the Bears cut the deficit to one point with 3:22 left.

Royer scored back-to-back baskets and Lindsay Bramwell hit one of two foul shots to make it 45-44, but the Warriors responded with a 6-0 run that all but put the game on ice. Courtney Trot’s 3-pointer with 1:34 to play made it 51-47, but it was the Bears’ last gasp offensively.

Neither team dominated the other in most other statistics as Bowdoin had 22 points to ECSU’s 24 in the paint, Bowdoin had 10 points off turnovers to ECSU’s 11, and ECSU had two points to Bowdoin’s zero on the fast break. The Warriors did have a 14-9 edge in second chance points.

WARRIORS 58, POLAR BEARS 47

Bowdoin (26-3) E. Connecticut (27-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Royer 7 19 2 2 16 Prior 3 7 10

Nickerson 0 3 0 0 0 Perry 3 14 8

Withey 0 4 0 1 0 Coleman 7 19 21

Trenkle 6 18 2 2 18 Phelps 1 6 3

Smith 2 6 1 4 5 Burdelski 2 8

Bramwell 0 4 1 2 1 McDonald 0 0

Trotta 1 4 0 0 3 Kline 3 3 8

Pouravelis 2 3 0 0 4 Ayers 0 0 0

Russell 0 1 0 0 0

Totals 18 62 6 11 47 Totals 19 60 16 22 58

Bowdoin 24 47

E. Connecticut 28 58

3-pt. goals ? Bowdoin (5-18): Trenkle 4-12, Trotta 1-3, Royer 0-1, Bramwell 0-1, Russell 0-1; ECSU (4-10): Coleman 3-6, Perry 1-3, Burdelski 0-1

Attendance: 225