LEWISTON — Bates had the antidote for Kirsten Prue’s dead-eye long range shooting Thursday night. It was a perfect mix of attacking the hoop, some timely long bombs of its own, and some Iron Woman efforts from its starters.

Allie Beaulieu played the entire 40 minutes recorded a double-double, 22 points and 10 rebounds, to lead the Bobcats to a 63-57 win over Bowdoin at Alumni Gymnasium Thursday night.

“We’re just a real tough team, and we’ve been working hard all season,” said Beaulieu, who was joined by Julia Rafferty in the 40-minute club. “I think we trust each other, and we just really stayed composed.”

Prue, a former Edward Little star, tested that composure with 16 of her team-high 19 points in the second half, making four of six three-point attempts (and five of nine for the game). The junior point guard scored the Polar Bears’ first 10 points of the half, then hit two treys in a one-minute span to pull Bowdoin to within one with 2:27 to go.

“I thought we did a good job defensively. We had a hand up. Sometimes people just make good plays,” Bates coach Jim Murphy said. “Prue’s making shots from five feet beyond the arc with somebody rushing at her and, I mean, you just say that’s a heck of a shot.”

Bates (4-5) responded by attacking the hoop. Taryn O’Connell (11 points, eight rebounds) hit Meredith Kelly cutting down the lane for what turned out to be a three-point play.

Bowdoin (3-4) went inside to Megan Phelps (14 points) to pull back within two, and had a chance to tie or go ahead after Bates turned the ball over on a travel with 33 seconds left.

After a time out, Kaitlin Donahoe missed on a drive to the hoop. Beaulieu grabbed the rebound, was fouled and converted both free throws to make it 61-57 with 14.4 seconds to go and clinch the game.

Bates outrebounded Bowdoin, 48-29 and also enjoyed an 18-8 advantage on free throw attempts. The Bobcats shot 89 percent from the line, the Polar Bears just 50 percent.

The game was tight throughout. Bowdoin had a string of seven misses in a row from the field but the Bobcats couldn’t take advantage and build a comfortable lead. Prue made her first 3 to break the cold snap and make it a one-point game with 7:50 left in the half. Bates’ six point halftime lead tied for its largest of the half.

Prue drilled a short jumper, a layup and two 3’s to start the second half. The last trey tied the game at 34-34 less than five minutes into the second half.

Bates threatened to pull away a couple of more times but Bowdoin always had an answer and even took its largest lead when Anna Prohl’s 15-foot jumper made it 47-43 with 8:19 to go.

After a timeout, Bates came out firing, with O’Connell sanwiching a pair of 3-pointers around a trey by Rafferty that made it 52-47 Bobcats with 4:44 left.

Bates maintained the five-point lead until Prue nailed a deep 3 with 3:26 to go, then after Beaulieu beat the shot clock with the runner, hit another 3 to make it 56-55 with 2:27 remaining.

“We keep gutting out wins,”Murphy said. “We’re not playing many players, but the ones that are going out there are playing hard all the time. It’s not pretty all the time, but when it comes to getting a loose ball or rebound, we do it. It was two mentally-tough teams going at it. Nothing was easy.”