ITHACA, N.Y – Ellery Gould put in a tie-breaking layup with 34 seconds left in the game to help the Bowdoin women’s basketball team to a 55-51 win over Ithaca Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA women’s Division III basketball tournament.

Bowdoin (21-7) advances against either George Fox University or Lewis & Clark College in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

“Jill (Henrikson) had a great drive,” Gould said. “I crashed the board because that’s what I do. I got the rebound and put it up as quickly as I could. I don’t really remember it, but I am so happy it went in.”

Gould pulled down a team-high eight boards and chipped in 11 points.

Henrikson recovered from an off game on Friday night to lead all scorers with 18 points, nine from the free-throw line.

“She went hard to the basket and she got the calls,” said Ithaca Coach Dan Raymond, whose team finished 24-5.

Poor shooting plagued both teams at the start .

A Megan Phelps basket made it 4-2 Bowdoin in the first four minutes. The next basket didn’t come until nearly four minutes later, when Henrikson laid it in to extend the lead to 6-2.

“When your shot isn’t falling, you just need to get to the rim more,” Henrikson said.

The Bombers fought back, going on a 10-5 run to take the lead on a Jenn Escobido hoop. The game became a back-and-forth contest for the rest of the first half, Bowdoin taking a 22-20 lead at the half.

“Early in the game, they were really controlling the boards,” Bowdoin Coach Adrienne Shibles said. “We really focused on getting better with our box-outs and on the boards in order to control the game.”

The game was tied seven times during the second half. With 6:36 remaining, Ithaca gained its largest lead of the game, 42-38 on a converted three-point play by Mary Kay Tierney.

“As a coaching staff, we just wanted to calm them down and say, ‘That’s just one shot. We still have control over this game and let’s do what we need to do to finish it off,”‘ Shibles said.

Henrikson closed the gap to two with a pair of free throws with 6:25 left.

Henrikson hit a 3-pointer to give Bowdoin a 43-42 lead with 5:51 remaining.

Ithaca regained the lead on Samantha Klie’s 3-pointer but a layup by Henrikson tied game at 45 with 4:47 left.

Layups by Alexa Barry and Amy Hackett and free throws by Barry and Henrikson extended the Polar Bears’ lead to 51-45 with 2:27 remaining.

The Bombers, however, went on a 6-0 run (two free throws each by Devin Shea and Kathryn Campbell, and a layup by Escobido) to tie the game with 44 seconds left.

Gould then scored the final four points to seal the Polar Bears’ trip to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.

“I just think it shows our toughness and the way we believe in ourselves,” Henrikson said. “We just proved that we’re made for this kind of thing, and we’re ready to go onto the next round.”

The Polar Bears have lost in the Sweet 16 in the previous two seasons.

“It’s a new year and a new team dynamic,” Hackett said. “We’re going to prepare for whoever we’re playing just like we prepare for any game.”