The Bowdoin Orient

December 8, 2000
Volume CXXXII, Number 12

Men's basketball team moves to 4-2

by J. P. BOX, STAFF WRITER

   After opening the season with a loss to DePauw, the Polar Bears basketball squad reeled off four straight wins, including a romp over Maine Maritime. However, the Bates Bobcats came from behind in the second half to halt the four-game winning streak Wednesday night.
   Last year, Bowdoin ran off to an impressive 8-1 start, but injuries and the inability to make plays down the stretch led to a disappointing 11-13 season. However, with many returning players, the Polar Bears hope to put last year behind and prove that they are for "reaaal."
   Bowdoin Head Coach Tim Gilbride told the Bowdoin web site that "last year was a frustrating season for everyone. I am confident, however, that the returning players learned from the experience."
   After the Polar Bears' loss in Chicago to DePauw, Bowdoin earned its first win of the year versus Colorado College.
   Next, Bowdoin took to the road to play the University of New England (0-3) where Coach Gilbride collected his 200th career victory as head coach of the Polar Bears. Dave Baranowski '03 again led the Polar Bears in points with 17 as Chris Ranslow '02 and Braden Clement '01 scored 14 and 13 respectively.
   After taking last season off to showcase his talents in the intramural basketball arena where he carried a questionable Appleton team to the championship, Clement has proved to be a stalwart offensively and defensively for the men's basketball team.
   Excluding the loss to Bates, Clement has averaged 11.6 points per game and 3.8 rebounds.
   Sporting a 2-1 record, Bowdoin hosted the University of Southern Maine, which fell by 25 points to a dominating Polar Bear team. McKinnon '01 led all scorers with 14.
   The Polar Bears earned their largest margin of victory over Maine Maritime on December 2 with a 98-54 win. While they won the game, they missed an opportunity to reach the 100 point barrier, which would have been cool. Baranowski once again was a dominant force as he outweighed Maritime's center by a conservative estimate of a hundred pounds.
   However, Baranowski, Clement, and company could not keep the winning streak alive as the Bobcats erased a two-point half-time deficit to defeat the Polar Bears. With a 4-2 record, Bowdoin next plays Norwich at home on December 9 at 4:00 p.m.