Springfield, Mass. - January 4, 2023 - The Springfield College women's basketball team was defeated by Bowdoin, 71-58, in a showdown of nationally-ranked teams on Wednesday afternoon in Blake Arena.  Over 300 local elementary school students were in attendance as the game served as Springfield College's annual Springfield Public Schools game.

Taking on the Polar Bears for the first time since 2009, Springfield fell to 10-3 with the loss, while Bowdoin, which entered the national rankings this week at No. 25 is now 9-2.

Sam Hourihan (Bridgewater, Mass.) led all players with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with five rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.  Angela Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and three helpers off the bench as the Pride finished the game shooting 20-of-44 (45%).  However, Springfield turned the ball over 22 times in the contest, which resulted in 25 points for the visitors.

For Bowdoin, Sela Kay had a team-best 13 points, Callie Godfrey added 11, and Annie Boasberg scored 10 as the Polar Bears connected on 11-of-29 from beyond the arc in the contest.  The difference in the game proved to be a 19-5 run that Bowdoin used to start the third quarter which put them in control. 

Both teams were impressive on the defensive side of the ball to start the game as an inside bucket from Czeremcha knotted things up at 6-6 with under four minutes to play.  Bowdoin with respond with the game's next five points, as Kay drilled a trifecta at the 2:21 mark.  Czeremcha would later swipe a steal and knock down a jumper at the horn as the Pride only trailed 13-10 after 10 minutes of play in which it turned the ball over eight times. 

Hourihan drilled a jumper at 7:10 to even the game at 18 apiece, only to have Bowdoin close out the half on a 15-6 surge.  In the closing seconds, Sydney Jones would get free in the lane for the final bucket of the half as the Polar Bears took a 33-24 advantage into the locker room.

Bowdoin opened up the second half with a 10-1 push to earn an 43-25 edge after Callie Godfrey scored in transition at the 6:43 mark.  The cushion would balloon to 54-29 on another Kay triple with less than three minutes to play as the visitors would outscore Springfield 25-10 in the frame en route to a 58-34 lead.  The Polar Bears would shoot 8-of-15 in the quarter, including 5-of-9 from deep, in the third. 

Springfield showed plenty of resolve in the final 10 minutes of play as they came all the way back to make it a 13-point game after trailing by as many as 27 points.  The Pride shot a blistering 8-of-11 from the field and held Bowdoin to just five made field goals, but the visitors advantage was too large to rally past. 

Springfield will play another nationally-ranked squad on Saturday when it travels to face No. 8 Smith at 1 pm. 

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Springfield "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.