Junior Lucas Hausman’s 44 points on 20-25 shooting in last Friday’s 98-70 win over Bates, a season high in points for the team, tied the school record for points in a game, previously set in 1954 by Bill Fraser. Hausman’s record-breaking performance earned him the Division III Player of the Week award. He was also named NESCAC Player of the Week for the second week in a row.
The next day, the Polar Bears edged out Tufts in the final seconds to win 57-54. The two wins bumped Bowdoin up to second place in the NESCAC at the end of the regular season, allowing the team to host seventh-seeded Williams in a quarterfinal match tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Bowdoin’s victory against Bates was a major improvement over the 71-51 defeat to the Bobcats on December 4. Hausman led the charge early, sinking nine of his first 11 shots to carry the Polar Bears to a 15-point lead at the half.
Bates attempted to hang in the game by relying on their perimeter shooting, but no matter what the Bobcats threw at the Polar Bear defense, Bowdoin was able to respond and keep the game out of reach. The Bobcats could not match the offensive efficiency of the Polar Bears and had no answer for Hausman’s dominant play.
Captain Bryan Hurley ’15 recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 assists in the game.
While Hausman and Hurley controlled the outside, Matt Palecki ’16 and John Swords ’15 dominated Bates on the inside. The towering duo combined for 26 points and 16 rebounds as Bowdoin crushed Bates in the paint, outscoring the Bobcats 40-6.
Hausman has had nothing short of a phenomenal season this year, achieving a new career-best point total several times and leading Bowdoin to its best NESCAC finish in school history.
After the blowout against Bates, the Polar Bears outworked Tufts in a defensive struggle on Saturday.
Both teams were held to less than 40 percent shooting in the contest, and the game was tied at only 51 with two minutes remaining. The ball went back and forth and two quick scores by Liam Farley ’18 and Hurley extended the lead to 55-51 with 12 seconds left on the clock.
Tufts quickly advanced down court and sank a three pointer to bring the game within one, but two free throws from Hurley put the game back out of reach.
The Polar Bears will start the NESCAC tournament against seventh-seeded Williams (5-5 NESCAC), whom they beat 67-60 in January. This time Bowdoin will be without captain Keegan Pieri ’15 who is still sidelined with a concussion.