Box Score BOSTON, Mass. – After a fairly evenly matched first half, the Emerson Women's Basketball Team was unable to contain an explosive second have by the Bowdoin Polar Bears Saturday afternoon at EC's Brown-Plofker Gym. Olivia DiNucci led both teams on the day with 31 points in an 83-59 loss to fall to 3-7 on the year while Bowdoin moves to 6-2 overall.
Bowdoin's Alexa Barry started the battle early, scoring right out of the gate. The Polar Bears continued with that momentum to take an early lead in the first half. While the Lions took better shots, with a 39.1% shooting rate for field goals to Bowdoin's 31.4%, the Polar Bears shot more often, battling the boards.
They gave the Lions a good fight with their aggressive defense, causing eight steals and 14 turnovers overall in the first half, even as the score remained close the entire half, with both teams fighting to take the lead. For the Lions, Olivia DiNucci was the key player of the half, sinking 14 of the team's 26 points. The Polar Bears, however, stole the lead towards the end of the half, leaving the score 31-26 in their favor by halftime.
The second half began with the Lions edging their way closer to Bowdoin, trying to close the gap. But it seemed like the Polar Bears came out of hibernation after halftime, boosting their field goal percentage to 57.6%, not to mention the 66.7% three-point percentage. The Lions had a hard time making their shots, scoring only 12 shots in 44 attempts as Bowdoin's stellar defense made it almost impossible for Emerson to make it down the court, again forcing turnovers and taking steals.
DiNucci remained the star player for the Lions in the second half, taking and scoring the most shots and making all eight of her free throws. In the end, the Bears spread the points and floor evenly to see them edge away with a solid 83-69 win.
The Lions now look ahead to a difficult match against Carlow after the winter break on January 4th.
Submitted by Sydney Hermanson - Emerson Media Relations
