CASTINE – Bowdoin College of Brunswick has been among the premier Division III women’s basketball programs in the country for several years.

Coach Stefanie Pemper has effectively recruited some of the best players from Maine to be part of that success.

Katie Bergeron of Bradley and Caitlyn Hynes of Owls Head make up part of Bowdoin’s current Maine connection. That duo combined for 30 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday night in the Polar Bears’ 70-56 victory over Maine Maritime Academy at Smith Gymnasium.

Bowdoin (9-4) was pushed hard by a youthful MMA squad, but the Polar Bears capitalized on their advantage in game experience.

Bergeron has made a smooth transition to the college game after spending a year at The Taft School in Connecticut.

“It’s been exciting. Bowdoin’s great place and I just love the team so much,” said the former Old Town High standout who scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds.

“It was just a great academic experience,” Bergeron said of Taft. “Basketball-wise I got an extra year and it allowed me to be seen by Bowdoin.”

Alexa Kaubris of Rumford tossed in a game-high 19 points and made four steals to lead Bowdoin, which shot 59 percent from the field in the second half to maintain the upper hand.

Bowdoin outrebounded MMA 37-28.

Hynes, a former Rockland High star, turned in a well-rounded performance with 14 points and six rebounds. She missed the first six games with an undisclosed injury, but was a key against MMA.

“She didn’t get a lot of experience last year and then she starts out this year injured,” Pemper said. “Games like this are some of the most key minutes that she’s had in her career.”

Hynes is helping to fill the void left by Division III Player of the Year Eileen Flaherty and injured sophomore Leah Rubega.

“I really liked how she reacted tonight,” Pemper said.

Freshman Tatum Welch of Newport was a tough matchup for Bowdoin and paced the Mariners (6-7) with 16 points. Junior Megan Franklin of Skowhegan provided 14 points and six rebounds for MMA, which has dropped three in a row.

Coach Craig Dagan sees Tuesday’s effort as a sign of the Mariners’ progress.

“I’m proud of our kids,” said Dagan, who has only one senior and one junior among his core group.

“Some of their kids have played in a lot of big games,” he said. “For our freshmen, this is the best team that they’ve ever probably played against. To see the way that they handled themselves and the way that they kept their composure and kept fighting, it bodes well for the future of our program.”

The Polar Bears grabbed the lead for good with a 13-4 first-half spurt. Kaubris hit an eight-footer from the lane, then Hynes then scored from underneath.

Ashley Tilton of Lubec slowed the surge with a 3-pointer for MMA, but Bergeron buried the first of her four first-half 3-pointers to keep Bowdoin on top. The Mariners crept within two on two Katie Pushard free throws, but Kaubris and Bergeron drained 3-pointers 53 seconds apart to give the visitors a 19-11 edge with 11:14 left in the half.

MMA twice closed within a point later in the half, but Bowdoin outscored the hosts 6-1 over the last four minutes to take a 36-27 lead at intermission.

“Every time we made a good run and cut it down, they made shots at critical times to stop those runs and that’s the sign of a championship-caliber basketball team,” Dagan said.”

The Mariners opened the second half with a 4-0 run to get within seven at 38-31, but the Polar Bears used an 8-2 run to extend the advantage to 15 points.

pwarner@bangordailynews.net

990-8240

POLAR BEARS 70, MARINERS 56

Bowdoin (9-4) Maine Maritime (6-7)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Anelausks 3 12 2 2 8 Leeman 3 8 7

Noucas 1 2 1 3 4 Eiane 3 7 6

Cote 1 3 0 0 2 Franklin 5 8 14

Kaubris 7 12 3 4 19 Hunt 0 5 0

Sweeney 1 4 1 3 3 Welch 6 7 16

Weiss 0 1 2 2 2 Hutchnsn 2 4

Hynes 6 10 2 4 14 Pushard 0 1 2

Bergeron 6 8 0 0 16 Barker 0 3 0

Leahy 1 1 0 0 2 Cousins 1 6 2

Tilton 2 5 0 5

Cote 0 1 0 0

Totals 26 53 11 18 70 Totals 22 54 11 56

Bowdoin 36 70

Maine Maritime 27 56

3-pt. goals – Bowdoin (7-17): Kaubris 2-3, Bergeron 4-6, Noucas 1-2, Anelauskas 0-4, Sweeney 0-1, Cote 0-1; Maine Maritime (4-10): Welch 2-2, Leeman 1-2, Hunt 0-1, Barker 0-1, Cousins 0-2, Tilton 1-1, Cote 0-1