The women’s basketball team dominated its competition over Winter Break, posting double digit victories over seven of eight opponents and extending its win streak to 13 games. Tuesday’s win at Husson brought the Polar Bears’ overall record to 16-2 (4-0 NESCAC).
The team opened up with a dominating 90-29 win against Clark University (3-12). All 12 Polar Bears on the roster logged double digit minutes and scored at least one basket.
The Polar Bears then coasted through their final three non-conference games, crushing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7-10) 63-45, Rhode Island College (4-11) 75-56 and Emmanuel College (8-9) 70-49.
The team opened up its NESCAC play with a decisive 87-53 win over Connecticut College on January 9 (12-2 overall, 2-1 NESCAC), which pushed its win streak to nine games.
Shannon Brady ’15, Sara Binkhorst ’15, Marle Curle ’17, and Kate Kerrigan ’18 all had double-digit performances, helping the team rout the Camels.
After eight minutes of play, Bowdoin already held a 19-6 lead and continued to dominate in the opening half, entering halftime with a comfortable 41-23 advantage. The Camels narrowed the gap to six points in the second half, but the Polar Bears quickly responded and jumped ahead to a final score of 87-53.
Bowdoin continued its impressive play when they welcomed Wesleyan on January 10 (7-8 overall, 0-3 NESCAC) with a 75-52 stomp.
The team then traveled to Williamstown, MA where they dealt 18th-ranked Williams their first home loss of the season 59-50.
The team was “very proud of the win at Williams,” said Head Coach Adrienne Shibles. “They are a great team and they always play well at home, so we were excited to get the victory on the road.”
Binkhorst, Brady, and Curle all reached double digit figures, a feat no Williams player matched.
The Polar Bears headed into halftime with Williams holding a slight edge 31-29, but soon after the second period began the Polar Bears gained a six point lead, rounding out the score to 35-29.
With less than 14 minutes left in the game, Bowdoin never trailed again. Despite tying the game at 46-46 with just 7:13 remaining, the Polar Bears defense kept Williams scoreless for the remaining 4:18 of the game.
In their most recent conference game, the team traveled to New York to play Hamilton College, dominating the Continentals 75-48.
Brady and Binkhorst each posted double-digit figures while Curle, Kerrigan, and Siena Mitman ’15 all added key figures, helping the Polar Bears secure the win.
The Polar Bears then traveled to Husson University (8-6), winning their final non-conference game 81-51.
Although the starting lineup has stuffed the stat sheet as of late, Shibles credits the team’s recent success to the depth throughout its roster.
“While we have some players who have been putting up big numbers and who have garnered some nice recognition we have a deep and balanced team,” said Shibles. “On any given night, someone else could be the leading scorer or rebounder. Our balance, depth and team chemistry are our greatest strengths.”
Shibles hopes to keep the team focused despite its recent success.
“Rather, we talk about treating each game with the same intensity, focus and preparation. Our goal is to get at least 1 percent better each day.”
The Polar Bears look to extend their win streak tomorrow at 3 p.m. when they welcome Colby to Morrell Gymnasium.