Courtesy of Brian Beard

Last Friday, the women’s basketball team (14–1; 3–0 NESCAC) defeated Bates College (14–2; 3–1 NESCAC) in a dominant performance in Morrell Gymnasium. The win comes amid the team’s strong start to conference play and the players hope to sustain this momentum heading into the rest of the season.

While Bates got off to a quick 13–4 start, that would be the Bobcats’ only lead of the game. The Polar Bears put together a stretch of 12 unanswered points to take control of the game for good. Forward Abbie Quinn ’27, who scored eight of these points and was recently named NESCAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, described how the team remained confident and settled into its identity playing against one of its NESCAC rivals.

“It’s always a good competition with Bates,” Quinn said. “I think a lot of our game plan is knowing that they come out hot in the first quarter and riding that wave and being able to settle in for ourselves and get back to our Bowdoin basketball play.”

The Polar Bears first faced both Bates and Colby College in December in non-conference play, before facing off again in NESCAC games in January. According to Head Coach Megan Phelps ’15, this allowed the team to make adjustments between matches and respond effectively to its early deficit against Bates.

“The second time around is all about adjustments from game one and then execution. I thought we had some trouble with the latter, especially early in the game, along with some nerves, which resulted in an early deficit,” Phelps wrote in an email to the Orient. “The thing I was most proud of was our mindset in that moment—our team really didn’t get rattled being down 13–4, and we were able to settle in and execute for the remainder of the game.”

Last Friday’s victory was the team’s fifth straight against the Bobcats, and Quinn noted that matches against one of its strongest NESCAC competitors tend to bring extra energy to Morrell Gymnasium. Still, the team remained committed to the mindset and identity that have defined its success this season.

“We attack every game, give it all we got, put teams away and play our Bowdoin basketball, and [we don’t] worry about what team it is that we’re actually playing,” Quinn said.

While the team has experienced great success over the past few years, the players stressed that as the team’s makeup changes each year, so does its identity. What remains, however, is a focus on playing with intensity in all areas of the game and strong offensive and defensive execution with an emphasis on rebounding.

“We’re a different team than we were last year. Coming off of winning the NESCAC championship, there’s a little bit of like, ‘We’re different than the team that won, but we’re also a really good team,’” guard Grace Kinum ’28 said. “Every single game is important, and every game is a chance to prove that we are still a really good basketball team.”

This mindset was shaped following the team’s first regular season defeat in almost two years on December 30 against Calvin University (9–7). According to Quinn, this 61–51 loss was a turning point that defined the players’ approach moving forward.

“We had our first loss there, and I think that was a big turning point for our season, of just, ‘How do we respond to this loss? How do we attack the rest of our season and become the team we know we want to be?’” Quinn said. “We’ve gone into practice with so much more intensity and competitive edge, so we can face teams in the NESCAC who are going to be really good and so we can win.”

As the players progress toward their goal of returning to the NESCAC championship and NCAA tournament, they strive to sustain this momentum by committing to getting “one percent better every time.”

“That starts with us showing up every day and giving 100 percent to whatever drill we’re doing. And I think we’ve really bought into that mantra,” Quinn said. “That makes every single game more fun, more competitive, and we’re getting better.”

Kinum reflected on how the team’s close dynamics allow for this continuous growth.

“Honestly, it sounds cheesy, but we’re best friends,” she said. “But we’re also very competitive, and something this season has been pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves. And because we’re so close, we can do that.”

This week, the team faced Husson University (10–7) on Tuesday, winning 74–46. The Polar Bears travel to Waterville tomorrow to face Colby (11–5; 2–1 NESCAC) at 3 p.m.