BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University women's basketball team earned a non-conference win over New England Small College Athletic Conference powerhouse Bowdoin College 76-69 on Tuesday evening. The win for Husson was the first over Bowdoin since the 1989-90 season and snapped a 20-game losing streak to the Polar Bears.  

Husson (15-4) and Bowdoin (16-6) played to a back and forth first quarter that saw the Polar Bears take a 18-17 lead at the end of the period. The Eagles had their biggest lead of the half when they scored the first six points of the game but the Polar Bears quickly countered with eight straight points of their own to take a two point lead. The remainder of the quarter and the first half was a seesaw affair that had the lead change hands six times and saw the score tied seven times. 

Junior Bailey Donovan led Husson with 10 points and five rebounds despite being saddled with foul trouble for the most part of the half. Senior Vanessa Duarte filled up the stat sheet with seven points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while first-year Lacey Scanlon came off the bench to record six points during the frame.

The two teams continued their back and forth game into the third quarter, but saw Bowdoin take a lead of seven going into the fourth quarter, after ending the quarter on a 9-2 run.

Husson fought its way back into the game in the final period by opening the frame on a 12-5 run. With the score at 66-66, senior Megan Peach would hit two free-throws to put the Eagles up for good with 1:50 left in the game. Timely foul shooting helped put the game away for Husson, as they outscored Bowdoin 32-18 in the final period. 

The Eagles were led by Donovan, who tallied her 14th double-double of the season, with a game-high 22 points and a co-team high 10 rebounds, along with two blocks. With Donovan's two blocks she became the sixth player in Husson women's basketball history to record 100 career blocks. 

Husson was also paced by Peach, who also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, in addition to a career-high tying six blocks. Duarte tallied 14 points and seven assists and Scanlon scored a career-high 13 points on 6-7 shooting.

The Eagles are back in action on Thursday, in their regular-season home finale as they take on Thomas College on senior night. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Story by sophomore Zak Mills.