BOX SCORE
LEWISTON, Maine -- Meg Coffin scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and the Bates College women's basketball team outscored Williams College 39-22 in the second half en route to a 71-55 victory in Saturday's first NESCAC Championship Semifinal.
The No. 1 seed Bobcats (19-7) will take on arch rival No. 2 Bowdoin College (23-2) in the NESCAC Finals Sunday at 1 p.m. at Alumni Gymnasium. It's the fourth season in a row the two teams will meet in the conference finals. Bowdoin has won the championship all five years of its existence, while Bates is riding a 23-game home winning streak.
Maggie Miller led the Ephs (21-5) with 18 points and 10 rebounds, including 12 points and six boards in the first half, when Williams came back from a 21-13 deficit to etch a 33-32 halftime lead.
Matia Kostakis hit a jumper and Jackie Powers converted two free throws to open the second half, and Bates never trailed again.
The Ephs went from shooting 48.4 percent in the first half to 32.1 percent in the second half, as they were limited to nine field goals out of 28 attempts.
Bates, conversely, went from 41.4 field goal shooting in the first half to 52.4 percent (11-for-21) in the second period. The Bobcats knocked down 17 out of 24 foul shots in the second period to preserve the lead.
First-year guard Jackie Powers scored 16 points for Bates, including 12-for-15 shooting at the line. Matia Kostakis (12 points) and Sarah Barton (11) were also in double figures.
Coffin scored 12 of her points and grabbed 10 of her rebounds in the second period, while Powers went 9-for-10 at the line.
Junior Meghan Stetson scored nine points off the bench for Williams, spurring a 17-6 Williams edge in bench points. Junior Meghan O'Malley added eight points and seven rebounds.
Tickets for the NESCAC Finals game between Bates and Bowdoin will be on sale at Alumni Gymnasium when the doors open at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults, $2 for students.
BATES COLLEGE 71, WILLIAMS COLLEGE 55
WILLIAMS COLLEGE (21-5)
Maggie Miller 9-17 0-4 18; Meghan Stetson 4-5 0-0 9; Meghan O'Malley 3-9 2-4 8; Ellen Wilk 2-4 1-2 6; Whitney Livermore 2-4 1-4 5; Colleen Hession 2-13 0-0 5; Kaylan Tildsley 1-2 0-0 2; Beth Lorge 1-1 0-0 2; Patricia Ludwig 0-1 0-0 0; Mika Peterman 0-1 0-0 0; Dominique dela Torre 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 4-14 55.
BATES COLLEGE (19-7)
Meg Coffin 6-8 8-10 20; Jackie Powers 2-5 12-15 16; Matia Kostakis 5-12 1-3 12; Sarah Barton 5-8 0-0 11; Annie Whiting 3-10 0-1 6; Kyla Decato 1-1 1-2 4; Val Beckwith 1-4 0-0 2; Maggie Fitzgerald 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 23-50 22-32 71.
Williams College.............. 33 22 - 55
Bates College................. 32 39 - 71
3-point goals-Williams College 3-15 (Meghan Stetson 1-1; Colleen Hession 1-11; Ellen Wilk 1-2; Kaylan Tildsley 0-1), Bates College 3-11 (Matia Kostakis 1-3; Kyla Decato 1-1; Sarah Barton 1-2; Val Beckwith 0-2; Annie Whiting 0-3). Fouled out--Williams College-None, Bates College-None. Rebounds-Williams College 33 (Maggie Miller 10), Bates College 41 (Meg Coffin 15). Assists-Williams College 13 (Colleen Hession 6), Bates College 13 (Jackie Powers 4; Sarah Barton 4). Total fouls-Williams College 24, Bates College 17. A-820
