Bowdoin College, Bates College and the University of Southern Maine continue their quest for a national championship Saturday during the second round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Bowdoin of Brunswick, ranked No. 2 in both national polls with a 24-2 record, will play host to Alvernia College of Pennsylvania (24-5) in a 6 p.m. contest.

Bates of Lewiston, the Polar Bears’ New England Small College Athletic Conference instate rival, is ranked Nos. 3 in one poll and 4 in the other. The Bobcats entertain Emmanuel College of Massachusetts (27-2) Saturday at 2 p.m.

Bates and Bowdoin are on opposite sides of the national brackets, which means they couldn’t meet again until the national championship game.

USM of Gorham, playing in the NCAAs for the 11th straight year, advanced to the second round via Wednesday night’s 83-67 victory over Maine Maritime Academy of Castine. The Huskies are gearing up for Saturday’s 2 p.m. game against Ithaca College of New York (21-7).

Coach Stephanie Pemper’s Bowdoin squad, which finished as the national runner-up a year ago, is riding a 54-game winning streak at Morrell Gym and has won eight in a row overall.

The Polar Bears are led by sophomore forward Eileen Flaherty (15.6 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game) and sophomore forward Justine Pouravelis (8.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg). Seniors Alison Smith of Stockton Springs (7.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg), a former Bangor High standout, and Erika Nickerson of Benton (7.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg), who played at Lawrence High in Fairfield.

Alvernia, the champion of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, is paced by senior guard Erin McIntyre (12.1 ppg). It beat Brockport State 60-38 in the first round.

The Huskies, winners of the Little East Conference, appeared to regroup well Wednesday despite the loss of junior guard and No. 2 scorer Tiffany Jones to disciplinary action.

USM, which has won 25 consecutive games this season after back-to-back losses to Bowdoin and Bates, is sparked by versatile junior forward Ashley Marble of Brookton (13.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg). The former Woodland High star was the LEC Player of the Year.

The Huskies also feature Megan Myles (12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and junior guard Katie Frost of Brewer (9.2 ppg, 3.6 apg), a former Calais High sparkplug.

USM takes on Ithaca, which downed Colby-Sawyer 64-46. Ithaca, the Empire 8 titlist, looks to Stephanie Cleary (22.1 ppg) to set the tone.

Bates, the NESCAC runner-up, is making its debut in the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats’ catalysts include senior forward Olivia Zurek (16.7 ppg, 9.8 ppg) and Meg Coffin (12.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg).

Emmanuel College of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference earned a 43-41 first-round win Wednesday over Salem State. Alyssa McCoy (12.8 ppg) is among its scoring leaders on a balanced squad.