Worcester, MA --- Nationally-ranked Bowdoin limited WPI to just four points in the third quarter en route to a 46-35 victory in a non-conference women's basketball matchup late Tuesday afternoon inside Harrington Auditorium.
 
With the result, the Polar Bears, ranked fifth in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25, remain undefeated at 14-0 overall while the Engineers see their record even out at 7-7 on the season.
 
Bowdoin used a 7-0 spurt to start the game, with Carly Davey (Westford, MA) accounting for five of these points. The Polar Bear's defense came out dominant, forcing four turnovers on the Engineers' first four possessions and stifling their offense early. WPI finally broke through on their fifth possession, with Alice Kelly (Wethersfield, CT) putting the hosts on the scoreboard with a trey. This started a 7-1 run for the Engineers where Kelly tallied all seven of these points. The score stood at 8-7 in favor of the visitors with 4:43 to go in the first quarter.
 
The Crimson and Grey claimed their first lead of the game with 3:07 remaining in the quarter with a layup by Allison Fullem (Underhill, VT). They extended their advantage with a sharp three-pointer from Ava Giansiracusa (Wethersfield, CT). Bowdoin responded with a layup and 3-of-4 shooting on free throws, regaining the lead, and closing the first quarter ahead, 13-12.
 
The second quarter featured lots of back-and-forth action, including two ties and two lead changes. The final 3:54 remained scoreless until the visitors' Abbie Quinn (Bangor, ME) converted a three-point play with just seven seconds left in the quarter. The Polar Bears headed into halftime with a narrow 25-23 lead.
 
The Engineers shot 50.0% on 9-of-18 field goals in the first half while limiting Bowdoin to 33.3% on 8-of-24 from the floor. WPI excelled from beyond the arc, sinking 3-of-6, compared to the Polar Bears' 2-of-9 performance in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Megan Stone (Hanson, MA) kicked off the second half with a contested layup for the hosts, tying the game at 25-25. The visitors responded with a 6-0 run, pushing their lead to six with 6:34 left on the clock. Grace Kinum (New Providence, NJ) sunk two baskets and Rachel Storey (Westport, NY) added a layup during the spurt.
 
Sydney Jones (Chestnut Hill, MA) powered the Polar Bears with an 8-0 run to close out the quarter, contributing five points with back-to-back buckets. WPI was limited to just four points in the third quarter. Bowdoin stretched their lead to 12, heading into the final frame with a 39-27 advantage.
 
Jones kept the momentum going for the visitors, opening the final quarter with a three-pointer followed by a driving layup. Bowdoin maintained control and held their lead through the remainder of the game, seeing the final score end at 46-35.
 
For the hosts, Kelly led with nine points, two steals and two rebounds. Giansiracusa accounted for eight points and two steals, Fullem registered six points, and Leila Nielsen (New York, NY) tacked on four points and three boards.
 
Quinn and Jones paced all players with 12 each for Bowdoin. Quinn added two assists while Jones had four steals. Davey contributed nine points on the game and Callie Godfrey (Chesire, CT) grabbed a game-high eight boards.
 
WPI shot 40.0% on 14-of-35 field goals and 3-of-9 (33.3%) of shots from behind the arc, including 14 bench points. Bowdoin was held to 17-of-48 (35.4%) of field goals and 25.0% (4-of-16) from three-point range, including 22 points in the paint and seven second chance points. The Polar Bears also saw a 13-5 benefit of offensive rebounds.
 
Both teams return to conference play for their next game. WPI hosts Smith in a NEWMAC matchup for a Camp Reunion Game on Saturday at 1pm. Bowdoin travels to Bates for a NESCAC contest on Friday at 7pm.

Story written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 and '25