The men's basketball team fell to Wesleyan last Friday but bounced back the next day with a victory against Connecticut College, clinching the No. 6 seed in the upcoming NESCAC tournament.
On Friday, Wesleyan came out shooting well and put the Polar Bears in an early hole, down 16 with 7:24 left in the first half. While Bowdoin rallied and came within one point during the first minute of the second half, the Cardinals pulled away late for the 74-61 win.
"They are a very good team, and once it's late in the game it's tough to come back against a team like them," said Head Coach Tim Gilbride. "They have very good guards who can handle and shoot the ball well, so by the end of it, they spread us out, which played to their strength."
Wesleyan also effectively neutralized star captain Will Hanley '12. Hanley, who led the NESCAC this season with 11.4 rebounds per game, was held to just six.
And after averaging 18.2 points during the regular season—second in the NESCAC behind Middlebury's Ryan Sharry—he was limited to just 13 points.
"They were very physical, especially on Will, which prevented him from getting open," Gilbride said.
Wesleyan was also helped by an outstanding effort by Mike Callaghan, who was named the NESCAC Player of the Week. Callaghan scored a team-high 25 points and 15 rebounds, both of which were career highs. Derick Beresford was also dominant for the Cardinals, netting 20 points.
"He's a very good player, and he obviously had a great game against us," said Gilbride of Callaghan.
On Saturday, the Polar Bears hosted Connecticut College and dominated the Camels in a 95-52 win. In a pregame ceremony, Bowdoin honored its senior class of Hanley, captain Ryan O'Connell, Wyatt Littles, Justin Nowell, and Tom Carter.
Bowdoin celebrated the occasion in style, making a season-high 66 percent of its field goals. Carter, O'Connell, Littles, and Andrew Madlinger '14 scored in the double digits for the Polar Bears, and Littles led the squad with 21.
"It was definitely fun for the whole team," Gilbride said. "It was certainly great for our seniors to get an opportunity to start and play together, especially in their last regular season home game."
The split weekend meant that Bowdoin (17-7, 5-5 NESCAC) finished the regular season in a tie for fifth with Williams and Bates. However, the Bobcats held a better record against the conference's top four teams, which will send Bates on the road against No. 4 Tufts. No. 7 Williams will take on No. 2 Middlebury, who lost 77-75 against Amherst in a battle of undefeated teams on Saturday. Bowdoin earned the No. 6 seed, setting up a rematch against Wesleyan in Middletown tomorrow.
Gilbride hopes his squad will get off to a better start and plans to make adjustments to benefit Hanley and prevent the Cardinals' Callaghan from having another career game.
"I think it's to our benefit that we just played them," he said. "Everything is fresh on our mind, so it helps both the players and us coaches focus on what we need to do better and what we need to work on."
Regardless, Gilbride is excited for the rematch.
"It's tournament time, so it's always a fun time of the year," he added. "I think our players...certainly are looking forward to the opportunity."