LEWISTON — The Bowdoin College women’s basketball team used a suffocating defensive effort to outlast Bates, 59-42, on Thursday evening.

The fourth-ranked Polar Bears improved to 7-0 on the season while the Bobcats dropped to 3-4. The teams will play their NESCAC conference game in Brunswick on Feb. 1.

Bowdoin rode 14 first half points from Maddie Hasson and eight from Dorian Cohen to take a 28-21 lead at the break.

Cohen hit a layup before the buzzer of the opening quarter, capping a 6-0 run to end the first stanza and giving the Polar Bears a 16-11 lead. The Bobcats drew within a single point twice in the second quarter, but Bowdoin an 8-0 run create some space and take a 28-21 lead at the break.

Bowdoin slowly began to pull away in the third quarter, closing the period on an 11-2 surge and pushing the lead to as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the win.

Both teams struggled from the field, but Bowdoin’s defense locked down Bates to just 28% shooting for the game and scoring 16 points off 17 turnovers. Bowdoin shot 36% for the game despite going 0-10 from three-point range, but held a 49-33 edge in rebounding and cashed in for 13 second-chance points.

 Hasson scored 23 points with 13 rebounds for Bowdoin while Samantha Roy added 17 points for the Polar Bears. Cohen had 12 points and five caroms off the bench for Bowdoin.

Bowdoin will return home for a Saturday afternoon contest against Colby in Morrell Gymnasium at 2 p.m.

Men’s basketball

The Bates College men’s basketball team held off Bowdoin, 72-58, in a non-conference clash between the teams on Thursday evening at Morrell Gymnasium.

The Bobcats improved to 4-1 this season while the Polar Bears fell to 3-4. The teams will play their NESCAC conference game on Feb. 1 in Lewiston.

Despite 19 first-half points from Bowdoin’s David Reynolds, the Bobcats took a halftime lead thanks to ten first-half turnovers by the Polar Bears.

Jeff Spellman scored 11 points in the opening half for Bates and Tom Coyne hit a buzzer-beating layup to give the visitors at 32-25 edge at the break.

The Polar Bears cut the lead to three points early in the second half after a three-pointer by Sam Grad trimmed the Bates lead to 36-33.

Bates responded with a 9-2 run, pushing the lead into double digits after a Stephon Baxter jumper with 13:35 remaining.

As the Polar Bears struggled from the field, Bates used a key 11-2 surge later in the period, and pushed their lead to as many as 18 points in the second half.

Bowdoin made a late run, but could get no closer than ten points.

Reynolds scored a game-high 26 points for Bowdoin but was the lone Polar Bear in double digits. He also led the team with seven rebounds.

Bowdoin will close out its first semester on Sunday when they head to play at Maine-Farmington at 2 p.m.