The women’s basketball team suffered a harsh defeat in their last regular-season game in Morrell Gymnasium on Sunday. Bowdoin’s 0-5 shooting cold streak to start the game opened the door for Wesleyan to go on an early 11-0 run. The first quarter ended with Wesleyan up 23-12, a lead that proved to be insurmountable for the Polar Bears.

While Wesleyan outrebounded Bowdoin, the game was ultimately decided by the vast shooting discrepancy, as Wesleyan made 51% of its shots and Bowdoin only made 33%.

“Sometimes [shooting] decides games,” Head Coach Sacha Santimano said.

Despite the tough first quarter, Bowdoin was able to keep up with Wesleyan’s output in the final three quarters.

“[We] started hitting shots, we buckled down a little bit more on defense over the next three quarters,” Santimano said.

The Polar Bears’ ability to keep it close after a lackluster opening quarter can largely be attributed to a big game from Megan Tan ’23. Tan finished the game with a season-high 27 points and 5 assists, also knocking down a couple of three-pointers. Santimano believes the team was in an adverse position going into the game.

“[W]e came off a stretch of going four games in five days,” Santimano said. “We’ve had some injuries, we’ve had some illnesses, and going into this game we were very shorthanded.”

Notable among these injuries is Sydney Jones ’25, who is a large source of offensive productivity for the team. Jones’ average of 13.9 points per game is the second-highest on the team for the Polar Bears. Despite the absence, Santimano believes the team’s cohesion is enough to keep them afloat.

“I look at [the team] as us being a cohesive unit, as us being a team that’s competitive, a team that plays well together,” Santimano said “[T]hose things never change depending on who we gain back or lose over the course of our season. We still stick to the principles of what this program is supposed to be about.”

The team is still in the aftermath of the sudden resignation of Assistant Coach Emily Dobson. Although it’s unclear if Dobson’s absence is affecting the players, the team has gone 2-5 since her resignation, with its most recent loss to Wesleyan having been decided by 21 points. Despite only managing two wins over their last seven games played, Santimano knows all she can do is focus on the team’s future.

“I can’t really comment much on what my players are thinking on those things,” Santimano said. “My focus is on this week and, and that’s where I’m putting all my attention [toward].”

Despite these setbacks and the tough loss to Wesleyan, the team still holds the same pedigree that they have historically. With a 16-8 record moving into the playoffs, Bowdoin women’s basketball is still Bowdoin women’s basketball.

Next up, the women’s basketball team will take on 11 ranked Colby at home this Friday for the first round of NESCAC

“I know that [the team] will be excited to see some fans in the stands this Friday,” Santimano said.