BRUNSWICK, Maine – Despite battling in a neck-and-neck opening two quarters, a 14-2 run from the Polar Bears in the third stanza gave Bowdoin College the lifeline they needed to pull off a 58-49 win over the Amherst women's basketball team, ending their NESCAC tournament drive in Morrell Gymnasium.

The Mammoths closed their season with a 19-7 record overall, finishing 6-4 in regular NESCAC play. Bowdoin maintained their unbeaten streak at 26-0 overall and 10-0 in the conference. The Polar Bears will advance to the NESCAC championship and face either Trinity College or Colby College at 12 p.m. on Sunday.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Junior Sylvia Liddle kicked off scoring for the Mammoths, equalizing the game at 2-2 with 8:47 on the clock. Senior Maya Cwalina followed up under two minutes later with a strong three-pointer fed by junior Laura Mendell to give Amherst a one-point lead over the host.

* A 5-0 run from the Polar Bears cooled Amherst's momentum and gave Bowdoin a 9-5 lead over the Mammoths with 4:49 to play. A jumper apiece from junior Annie McCarthy and senior Kori Barach pulled Amherst even at 9-9 with 3:59 remaining, and junior Anna Tranum struck with a finish from the paint to build an 11-9 lead.

* Both sides traded buckets until a layup from sophomore Macie Nugent edged the Mammoths past the Polar Bears at 15-14 as the quarter closed.

* A 7-0 surge from Bowdoin, led by senior Sydney Jones, allowed the Polar Bears to build a 21- 17 lead with 6:43 remaining in the second quarter. It was a seesaw battle for the rest of the period as both sides traded free throw points until Bowdoin edged into the lead at 28-24.

* Amherst's scoring drought continued into the third quarter as Bowdoin rallied for an eight-minute-long 14-2 run. Down 42-26, Barach lit the fuse for the Mammoths with a layup that incited a 8-0 rally for Amherst. With 1:25 on the clock, Cwalina hit a bucket from behind the arc to weaken Bowdoin's lead to 42-31.

* Free throws closed the stanza for both teams as each side traded buckets. Liddle hit a layup with 25 seconds remaining to help Amherst close the period down 44-35.

* Two layups from Cwalina in the opening two minutes of the final quarter brought some energy to Amherst's efforts as Bowdoin's lead diminished to 46-40. Despite Mendell hitting a layup with 2:11 remaining on the clock, free throws edged the Polar Bears past the Mammoths in the final minutes, closing the showdown 58-49.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Bowdoin held an advantage in field goals and three-pointers converted, shooting 34.2% (13-38) of field goals compared to 31.7% (19-60) from the Mammoths, and making 38.5% of three-pointers compared to 9.5% from Amherst. The Mammoths led in free throws made, netting 75% compared to 71.1% from the Polar Bears.

* Jones was the game's top scorer with 24 points. Off the Amherst bench, Cwalina led in scoring with 14 points, with Mendell close behind her with 8.