SALEM, Virginia – Two back-to-back 3-pointers by Kelsie Cox and Lucia Renikoff sparked the Tommies comeback at the beginning of the second half, but unfortunately, wasn’t enough to get the job done.

The St. Thomas women’s basketball team fell just short of the NCAA Division III National Championship game after losing 71-60 to Bowdoin College at the Cregger Center on Friday.

The Tommies struggled to score in the first half and were down 33-25 at halftime; however, they controlled the tempo coming out of the half.

Guards Kelsie Cox and Reinkoff’s two 3-pointers helped pick up the momentum getting the Polar Bears into a rotation.

Senior center Hannah Spaulding dominated in the paint. Spaulding finished out her career with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Renikoff chipped in 12 points while Kaia Porter added another 11.

The St. Thomas defense held Bowdoin’s leading scorer, Taylor Choate, to 14 points, but Polar Bear forward Maddie Hasson led her team (31-1) with 25 points.

The Tommies made stops when they needed it, but struggled to convert off of missed shots in the final two minutes.

St. Thomas graduates their three senior captains: Hannah Spaulding, Kaylie Brazil and Lucia Reinkoff.

The Tommies fought until the last buzzer sounded and end their season with a 30-2 record.

Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu.