The men's basketball team finished the regular season in heartbreaking fashion, losing to in-state rival Bates College, 65-62 last Saturday in Morrell Gym.
Bates scored the final seven points, rallying from a four-point deficit with 24 seconds left. With the loss, Bowdoin falls to 19-5 (6-3 NESCAC). The win improves Bates to 17-7 (5-4 NESCAC).
However, the weekend was not all bad for the Polar Bears, as they defeated Tufts on Friday night to tie the single-season wins record.
Bowdoin dominated play at the onset of the Bates match, jumping to a 33-17 lead following a 24-8 surge in the first half.
Senior Andrew Hippert keyed the run, scoring 13 points in the first half.
Despite the huge advantage, Bates was able to narrow the gap to 10 points at the end of the first half, 40-30.
Throughout the second half, Bates continued to chip away, holding the Bears to just six points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Bowdoin's lead was cut to two points after an 11-2 burst by the Bobcats.
Following a three-pointer by Bates's Chris Wilson at the 8:29 mark, the Bobcats took a 50-48 advantage.
Bowdoin quickly tied the game on a jumper from Hippert and regained the lead on a Mike Hauser jump shot with 5:30 to go.
The Bears maintained a two point advantage with under a minute to play. On two free throws by Tim Lane '09, the Bears held a 62-58 lead with 24 seconds to play.
Following the free throw, Bates pushed the ball down court and Bobcat Sean Wirth banked home a lay-in and was fouled with 16 seconds remaining.
The free throw cut the lead to 62-61. On the proceeding inbounds pass, Hippert was called for traveling, giving the Bobcats the last possession with a chance to win. The Bowdoin fans, however, were outraged with the call and loudly insisted that Hippert had been fouled, causing him to take the extra step.
Bates's Chris Wilson, who led all scorers with 20 points, drove to the basket and nailed a running jumper from the right elbow with 10 seconds to go.
Bowdoin's last chance three pointer was blocked. The loss was the second for the Bears against their rival Bates. Despite the loss, Hippert said he was looking forward to the next week of practice.
"We are concentrating on improving each day as a team and hopefully by [Saturday] we will be playing at a high level."
Ironically, the loss set up a third meeting between the two clubs. On Saturday, in Morrell Gym, the Bears, seeded No.4 in the NESCAC will play Bates, seeded No. 5.
It is often said that defeating a team three times in a season is as unlikely as playing the team three times, and Bowdoin will look to follow that sentiment with a victory Saturday at 4 p.m.
"Starting last spring, everyone bought into working extremely hard on the court and in the weight room, and we have maintained that effort throughout the summer and into the fall," said senior Jordan Fliegel.
On Saturday, the Polar Bears will hope that all the hard work will pay off in the postseason.