BRUNSWICK, Maine  – Ahead by a single possession 60-58 with just over three minutes to play, No. 13 Bowdoin College Polar Bears executed down the stretch and made 9-of-12 free throws to pull away from the University of Southern Maine Huskies 74-60 in a non-conference women's basketball game Tuesday night at Morrell Gymnasium.
 
The Records: 
Southern Maine (1-3)
Bowdoin (3-0)
 
Series History: Facing each other for the 54th time in series history and the first time since the 2019-2020 season, Bowdoin earns its 22^nd victory over the Huskies.  
 
Standout Huskies:  Senior Victoria Harris (Altus, Okla./Lewiston), 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocked shots; sophomore Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine/Noble), 15 points, sophomore Ashlee Aceto (South Portland, Maine) 7 points, two rebounds, two assists
 
Standout Polar Bears: Tori Beck, 16 points, 3 assists; Sydney Jones, 9 points, 11 rebounds, Megan Tan, 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists.
 
How It Happened: 

•  USM freshman Maria Degifico (South Portland, Maine) hit a layup with 4:11 showing on the clock to put the Huskies within a bucket of Bowdoin, but the no. 13 Polar Bears used one of two free throws, and a dagger of a three from Beck to make it 64-58 with 2:51 left.
• Fleming made it 65-60 scoring her 15^th point of the game with 2:09 on the clock, but the Huskies failed to convert on their next two possessions and Bowdoin went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to put the game out of reach 69-60 with less than a minute to play.
•  USM played tough throughout the game and rallied from an early 7-0 first quarter deficit (7:23), outscoring the Polar Bears 29-13 over the next 10 minutes to lead 29-20 with 3:53 remaining in the half.  Harris and Fleming each scored seven points for the Huskies. 
• Down by three possessions, Bowdoin closed the second quarter on an 8-0 run to trail USM 29-28 at the break.
• In a closely contested third that saw two lead changes and two tied scores, Harris had USM up 49-46 with a bucket in the paint before Bowdoin closed on a 5-1 spurt following a Tan three and a pair of free throws to lead 51-50 heading into the break.

 
Inside the Stats: 

•  Southern Maine was 18-for-22 from the free throw line in the game (81.8 percent) – led by a perfect 6-for-6 mark from senior Michelle Rowe (Gorham, Maine).
• Harris' 18 points and 10 rebounds are a 2021-22 season high mark in both categories.  It is her first double-double of the season, and sixth of her career.
• Degifico's five points is a season-high for the rookie guard. Aceto's seven points, including a pair of three. She is shooting 40.0 percent from long range for USM (6-for-15) through four games.

Up Next: 
Southern Maine returns to action on the road Tuesday (5:30 pm) at non-conference opponent Bates College.   
 
 Southern Maine Athletics has gone to fully digital game programs, please click this link to access the game programs to future Husky home events!