BRUNSWICK — The luck ran out quickly for the University of New England women’s basketball team.
The Nor’easters, a game removed from a one-point win over Rhode Island College, lost 69-53 in a non-conference game with Bowdoin College at Morrell Gym on Tuesday night. UNE’s record moved to 2-1 on the season.
A sluggish start in the first half ultimately led to the Nor’easters demise against the Polar Bears. Bowdoin went on a 12-0 run within the first five minutes of the game, jumping out to a 15-4 lead. The Polar Bears kept a commanding lead through the first half, ending with a 37-23 lead.
“At the beginning, I think we got a bit tentative, and it showed,” UNE head coach Anthony Ewing said. “We took bad shots. The main thing for me from the beginning was, our defense was bad. It was a carbon copy of last year, where we would start out in a hole because of poor perimeter defense, and not boxing out. It got us in a hole.”
The Polar Bears increased the lead thanks to perimeter shooting, as they went 8 of 18 in 3-point shots. But the story of the game was the play of the Polar Bears’ defense, which shut down the transitional offense of the Nor’easters.
“Our defense is our bread and butter,” Bowdoin head coach Adrienne Shibles said. “We were focused on bringing the intensity at the start of the game, and I thought we did a good job of getting a strong start with our press and starting some havoc.”
Ewing said he agreed.
“It’s tough to attack that kind of pressure, it disrupts your normal flow,” he said. “You want to take care of the ball, but you do want to be aggressive against that kind of double-teaming.”
Bowdoin’s defense forced 12 turnovers in the first half, and 21 in the game.
Offensively, the Polar Bears continued to work on the 3-point shot, as Bowdoin guard Ellery Gould scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half.
In the second half, Bowdoin’s Jill Henrikson scored 14 points, making three 3-pointers. Henrikson’s 21 points led the Polar Bears.
“We talked at halftime about coming out stronger than the first half,” Henrikson said. “We just had all cylinders flowing, and it felt good.”
Never regaining the lead after the first two minutes of the game, the Nor’easters struggled shooting, making only nine baskets in 25 attempts in the first half. Bowdoin also out rebounded UNE 21-16 in the first half.
UNE played closer in the second half as Bowdoin outscored the Nor’easters 32-30.
“We actually got tired of playing like crap out there and actually wanted to play,” UNE guard Kelley Paradis said. “We haven’t come to play one time against Bowdoin yet, and we were sick of it, and toward the end of the first half, we just kicked it in.”
Paradis led the team scoring 17 points. UNE Freshman guard Kelly Coleman scored 14 points.
Paradis said Coleman gives the Nor’easters some much needed depth off the bench.
“She helps a whole lot,” Paradis said. “She gives us a post player or a guard, so anyone that needs a sub, and the fact that she can shoot and do post moves, play defense. She helps us a lot.”
The help at the guard position was needed. Late in the first half, UNE point guard Kari Pelletier injured her eye, forcing her from the game. The Nor’easters were already thin at guard, as former Biddeford standout Lauren Rousseau missed the game because of an injured right ankle sustained before the season. Those losses forced Paradis to run the offense, and made the Nor’easters to play mostly forwards the rest of the game.
“We start taller now,” Paradis said. “We’re deep off the bench, but we’re not as deep at some of the positions that we’re used to, like point guard. We’ve somehow seemed to make it work so far, and hopefully everyone will be back and healthy soon.”
“It was a nice job by the ladies to step up and handle the rock,” Ewing said. “But you can’t dig a hole against a good team. Regardless of how hard you play, you can’t get out of it.”
UNE will have eight days off before traveling for its first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) game of the season against Wentworth on Nov. 30.
— Contact Staff Writer Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 323.
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