LEWISTON — One big shot led to another.
Then another big shot led to the biggest basket of the night.
Molly Brown’s jumper from the top of the key fell with five seconds left Tuesday, lifting Bates College to a thrilling 61-60 comeback win over the University of Southern Maine at Alumni Gymnasium.
“I just tried to stay calm,” Brown said. “I’ve been a little anxious lately when I’ve got my shot. I just tried to stay calm and make it for the win.”
Brown’s game-winner was set up by a pair of Kristin Calvo 3-pointers that changed the complexion of the game in a hurry. Calvo hit a trio of 3s in the final three-plus minutes, including the shot that made it 60-59 with 44 seconds left.
“We started to get hot at the right time,” said Bates coach Jim Murphy, whose team hadn’t beaten the Huskies since 2010. “That’s a huge win. We don’t beat Southern Maine very often.”
Bates trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half. The Bobcats chipped away and got within six twice midway through the half only to fall back behind by as many as 14.
Then Brown drilled a 3 and Calvo followed with a pair during a 9-0 run that got the Bobcats within 59-54. Though USM got a free throw, the Huskies scored just one point in the last six-plus minutes and didn’t hit a field goal for the final 7:17, getting outscored 16-3 during that time.
“We just need to learn a little bit in terms of time-and-score,” said USM coach Gary Fifield. “We have one loss in overtime to UNE and this one, a one-point loss. We could just as easily be 4-0 rather than 2-2.”
Brown led the Bobcats with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Calvo added 13 points, while Chelsea Nason added 10 points. Megan Pelletier led USM with 15. Ella Ramonas had 14.
Bates (5-2) was down 39-21 early in the second half and trailed 59-43 with 7:17 left. That was after USM opened a six-point lead with eight straight points, taking advantage of its inside game.
“As soon as we got into single digits, we were like, ‘Let’s do this,'” said Brown, who finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds. “We got together as a team and were like, ‘It’s our time.'”
Brown hit a 3 with 5:33 to play. The Calvo hit-back-to-back from long distance to make it 59-54 with 3:02 left.
USM got a free throw from Pelletier with 2:41 left. After free throws by Brown made it 60-56 with 1:17 remaining, Bates got a defensive stop and a Brown rebound that helped set up Calvo’s 3 with 44 seconds left.
“That changed everything,” Murphy said.
The Huskies failed on a couple of chances on the offensive end and watched the Bobcats take it to the other end and get a huge 3 from Calvo. USM had the lead and the ball in the final minutes, but Nason rebounded a miss by Ramonas.
“They started hitting threes, and we took some ill advised quick shots,” said Fifield. “A couple of times we needed to use the clock, and we used two or three seconds.”
On the Bobcats’ final possession, the play was drawn up for Brown. She came off a screen and had an open look.
“The play was just to get a screen and roll with me and Allie Coppola,” Brown said. “She set an awesome screen, so it was easy to get wide open. I just tried to make it for the team.”
USM had one last chance, but a turnover nixed that opportunity with a second left.
“It’s great for Molly,” said Murphy, who didn’t have Brown last year because of injuries. “She’s missed so much time in her career. That’s what she was doing in her freshman year. That’s how talented a player she is. That was a pretty darn nice basket.”
USM had done a nice job defensively on the Bates offense. The Bobcats weren’t allowed to move the ball as they typically do or get a running game going. While the Bobcats struggled, the Huskies opened a 34-21 lead by halftime.
“In the first half, I think we ran an offense five times and scored three times and got two shots,” said Murphy. “The other times, we just stood around.”
USM’s tandem of Pelletier and Ramonas did their damage in the post. When Bates started to make a run in the second half and got within six, the Huskies utilized the inside to reestablish the lead. Ramonas and Pelletier each had a basket, while Rebecca Knight added a pair.
“That is the strength of our team, no doubt about it,” Fifield said. “We have three kids that can score inside.”
Down the stretch, the Huskies couldn’t get those baskets and the Bobcats’ 3s sparked an improbable comeback.
“We just wanted to run our offense, something we weren’t doing in the first half,” Brown said. “We knew we’re a second half team. So we weren’t worried about the lead but we just wanted to go into the Thanksgiving break with this big win and shock a lot of people, and that’s what we did.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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