Courtesy of Brian Beard

The Bowdoin women’s basketball team today won its first NESCAC championship since 2009, toppling undefeated No. 1 seed Tufts, 70-60.

The victory gave Bowdoin its ninth NESCAC crown, setting a conference record.

Bowdoin started out hot, opening the road game on a 13-2 run, and held an eight-point lead at halftime. The Jumbos, who came into the game with a 26-0 record, cut the lead to three at the end of the third quarter, and tied the game at 52 early in the fourth quarter.

But with under two minutes to play, Sela Kay ’22 hit her sixth three-pointer of the afternoon to give the Polar Bears a seven-point cushion, 63-56. Bowdoin didn’t look back, closing out the win and delivering a much-deserved trophy after a remarkable run of dominance.

Captain Maddie Hasson ’20 led the Polar Bears with 24 points and helped seal the win in the final quarter by making all six of her free throws.

Courtesy of Brian Beard

Seeded third in the tournament, Bowdoin beat the No. 2 seed Amherst Saturday to advance to the finals. The Polar Bears’ only regular season losses were to the Mammoths and Jumbos.

The Polar Bears have compiled a superlative 85-7 record over the past three seasons. Nonetheless, today’s playoff victory over exorcised some past demons for Bowdoin, as the Jumbos have knocked the Polar Bears out of the NESCAC tournament for three consecutive years.

Head Coach Adrienne Shibles won her second NESCAC crown. Shibles captured her first title in 2009, her first season in charge.

As one of 43 conference champions across the nation, Bowdoin will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Division III tournament, making it seven consecutive appearances for the team. The team has advanced to the finals in the tournament three times—in 2004, 2018 and 2019—but has fallen short of the title each time.

Bowdoin will learn its first-round opponent during the DIII selection show Monday at 2:30 p.m.. The show will be streamed live on NCAA.com.