Courtesy of Brian Beard

On March 2, after a historic undefeated regular season, the women’s basketball team (29–1; 10–0 NESCAC) was crowned back-to-back NESCAC champion in Morrell Gymnasium after a comeback win over second-ranked Colby College (15–11; 7–3 NESCAC). The Polar Bears fought until the very last minute to secure their 62–59 victory over the Mules after trailing nearly the entire game. Bowdoin then entered the NCAA Division III Tournament as the number one seed, eventually falling to Smith College (31–3) in the third round.

Head Coach Megan Phelps ’15 commented on the team’s game plan against Colby heading into the NESCAC championship game after playing the team two times prior in the regular season, beating them both times.

“It’s kind of a cliché, but it is really hard, I think, to beat a team three times,… so I think the biggest thing was just trying to maintain our confidence and composure,” Phelps said. “I think a lot of times in games like [the NESCAC finals], it’s almost more important to be the team that executes more than any game plan is. It’s just, can you handle the pressure and the nerves? And so I felt like that was a big point of emphasis for us.”

Colby came out hot after the tip-off, leading 20–17 at the end of the first quarter and extending its lead to as many as eight points in the second quarter before finishing the half up 38–32.

Captain Sydney Jones ’25 spoke on the difficult start and her team’s approach for the second half.

“I think [the first half] was one of the first times where we were a little bit on our toes.… But we had the opportunity to reset, which I think was really good. At halftime, we knew what we were struggling with, and I think we came out really strong in the third quarter,” Jones said.

The Polar Bears kicked off the second half with a bang, taking the lead for the first time with a score of 41–40 with Jones securing a layup. However, the Mules responded big with 11 straight points to hold their largest lead of the game, heading into the final quarter up 51–41.

Despite the high pressure of entering into the final minutes of play down by ten, Jones remarked on the team’s relentless confidence in its play and positive attitude.

“I think our team has really relied on our experience throughout the year. We’ve played down. We’ve played from behind. We’ve played from ahead. We’ve played from however many points of a lead. So we are really experienced in just playing our basketball no matter what,” Jones said. “And I think that really showed in the second half that we didn’t let their momentum and energy really take away from ours.”

Jones got the ball rolling for the Polar Bears, completing a 9–0 run and shrinking the Mules’ lead to 53–51. Later, with under a minute to go, Jones made a game-changing defensive stop and finished with a layup to give Bowdoin the lead.

“Sydney Jones hitting the and-one with 48 seconds left, I think, will be branded in my brain forever. What an incredible moment, what an amazing shot to hit in such a pressure filled time. That certainly is one of the coolest basketball memories,” Phelps said.

Abbie Quinn ’27 reflected on the moment the clock ran out crowning the Polar Bears NESCAC champions.

“Knowing how hard we worked for [the win], and how hard it’s been to get to that point in the season, and, obviously, winning in Morrell and seeing all of our fans there is just exhilarating. You just feel the love, and you feel the support of this tight knit team, but also our community around us,” Quinn said.

In addition to the team’s championship win, Bowdoin received a number of individual honors. Jones was awarded NESCAC Player of the Year and named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American team. Notably, Jones is the first player in conference history to be awarded consecutive NESCAC Player of the Year honors. Quinn was also named to the All-NESCAC Second Team and the Bowdoin coaching staff, including Phelps, Assistant Coach Abby Kelly ’19 and team volunteer Taylor Choate, received NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Although the Polar Bears did not see the result they hoped for in their NCAA Tournament journey, exiting in the third round, Jones reflected on how proud she was of the team’s performance throughout this season and during her time at Bowdoin.

“The Smith game didn’t go the way we wanted to, but I think at the end of the day, only one team in the country ends off on a win. Yes, I’m sad that wasn’t us, but I think I’m not going to let that one game affect the rest of my career,” Jones said. “At the end of the Smith game, I took some time to look out at the stands and celebrate my teammates and look at everyone around me and the things that we’ve done at this school.”