Women's Basketball

NESCAC Women's Basketball Championship Heads to Bowdoin

HADLEY, Mass. – Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, and Williams advanced out of the NESCAC Women’s Basketball Quarterfinals. The Bowdoin Polar Bears, the No. 1 seed, will host the remaining rounds of the tournament for the third straight season at Morrell Gymnasium.

On Saturday, February 28, Bowdoin will face No. 5 Williams in the first semifinal at 2 p.m., followed by No. 3 Amherst versus No. 2 Bates at 4:30 p.m. The semifinal winners will meet in the NESCAC Championship game on Sunday, March 1 at Noon.

TICKETS
Tickets for the semifinal games are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students/children 3 and older, and children under 3 are free. One ticket is good for admission to both semifinal games. Semifinal tickets go on sale online at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25 (CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE). Complete ticket information can be found HERE.
 
HOW TO WATCH
All three games will be streamed via the NESCAC Network and can be viewed on mobile devices, computers, or Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon FireTV via the NESCAC Network app. Visit the app store on your favorite device and search for NESCAC Network, download the app, and start watching.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR
NESCAC Women's Basketball Championship merchandise is available now on SquadLocker. NESCAC Championship gear can be personalized with a name or number and shipped directly to your home. Click the Shop Now button below.

No. 1 Bowdoin Polar Bears (23-1) vs. No. 5 Williams Ephs (13-12)
  • Bowdoin, the two-time defending NESCAC Champion, is making its third consecutive appearance in the semifinals and 23rd in 25 tournaments.
  • The Polar Bears enter the tournament riding a 15-game win streak.
  • Grace Kinum and Abbie Quinn each scored 19 points to lead Bowdoin past No. 8 Tufts, 73-56, at Morrell Gymnasium. Bowdoin scored the game's first eight points and never relinquished the lead. Kinum scored 10 of her 19 points in the opening quarter as Bowdoin raced to a 23-15 lead after one. She finished 7-of-13 from the field and converted all five of her free throw attempts. Bowdoin shot 46.6 percent from the field in the game.
  • The Polar Bears have won games by an average of 17.8 points per game and own the best defense in the league, allowing a NESCAC-low 49.0 points per game.
  • Quinn (14.6 ppgs, 5.3 rpg) and Kinum (13.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) have led Bowdoin all season. Kinum leads the league in assists (4.4 pg) and has the top assist/turnover ratio in the conference (+1.8).
  • Williams, which has a three-game win streak going, returns to the semifinals for the first time since 2023. The Ephs’ last appearance in the championship game was 2013. The Ephs have never won a NESCAC Championship.
  • Logan Coster scored 21 points and Micah Walton added 19 as Williams pulled away from No. 4 Trinity in the second half to claim a 75-55 victory at Oosting Gymnasium. With the score tied, 33-33, at the break, the Ephs outscored the Bantams 23-12 in the third period, to take a lead they would not relinquish. 
  • The duo of Walton (14.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Kathleen Smith (12.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) has paced Williams this season. Smith is shooting 59.4 percent from the floor to lead the NESCAC and is one of five players to net 30-plus points in a game this season (30 pts vs. Hamilton 2/13). Walton’s 14.8 points per game rank fourth in the conference.
  • Bowdoin posted a 64-51 win at Williams on February 7. The Polar Bears are 9-0 against the Ephs in the NESCAC postseason. Bowdoin defeated the Ephs, 71-46, in the 2025 quarterfinals.
No. 2 Bates Bobcats (22-3) vs. No. 3 Amherst Mammoths (18-7)
  • Bates, which has won nine of its last 10 games, is making its third semifinal appearance in five seasons. The Bobcats have reached two of the last four championship games and won their last title in 2022.
  • For the second year in a row, the No. 2 versus No. 7 quarterfinal matchup in the NESCAC Women’s Basketball Championship went to overtime. Bates’ Sarah Hughes scored 23 points, 20 in the final 25 minutes of the game, and the Bobcats never trailed in overtime en route to a 67-64 victory over Hamilton at Alumni Gym. Hughes, who finished 10-of-18 from the field, helped the Bobcats overcome a 20-point first-half deficit.
  • Hughes (10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Elsa Daulerio (14.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg) are the two top scorers for the Bobcats. Daulerio leads the league in blocks with 64.
  • Amherst, which has won nine of its last 12 games, is making its second consecutive appearance in the semifinals and 18th in team history. The Mammoths last won the title in 2018 and own eight trophies.
  • Elizabeth Cain came off the bench to score 15 points and Reagan Pahl added 14 points as Amherst pulled away from No. 6 Connecticut College, 77-55, at LeFrak Gymnasium. Amherst never trailed, building a lead that ballooned to as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter. The Mammoths shot 72.7 percent from the field to outscore the Camels 19-9 in the second quarter to take a 35-18 halftime advantage.
  • Annie McCarthy (11.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Laura Mendell (10.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) have led the Mammoths, while Chase Anderson has chipped in 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
  • Known for their defense, the Mammoths limit opponents to 53.2 points per game (2nd in the NESCAC) and hold teams to 33.9 shooting from the field (1st in the NESCAC).
  • Bates registered a 63-54 win at Amherst on January 9. The Mammoths are 6-3 versus the Bobcats in the NESCAC Tournament series. Amherst posted a 61-51 victory over Bates in the 2025 quarterfinals when the teams last met in the championship.