Winter Break brought stiff competition for the Bowdoin’s men’s basketball team, as they played seven games against quality teams, five of which were NESCAC opponents. The team ended the break just under .500 for the span, winning three and losing four. They defeated St. Joseph’s (ME), Bridgewater State and Bates, but fell short against Tufts, Williams, Amherst and Trinity.
The Bears saw a successful start to the break by registering a quick win against in-state rival St. Joseph’s by a score of 86-66. Senior Lucas Hausman and Jack Simonds ’19 collected 17 and 20 points each, respectively. This win put the Bears at 6-3 for the fall semester. The new year put the Bears in the thick of NESCAC competition with games against Tufts, Bates, Williams, Amherst, Trinity and Colby. The Bears went 2-4 in conference.
“The NESCAC is always really competitive—it usually puts in three or four teams into NCAAs, and it differs every year,” said Matthew Palecki ’16. “There are a lot of talented players. I would say it is probably the best DIII basketball league in the country. Every year you need to make sure you come out with your best.”
The two wins happened to be against the Bears’ biggest rivals—Bates and Colby. After a tough loss against Tufts just the day before, the Bears bounced right back on January 8, defeating Bates in a heated game. Hausman led the team to victory with 42 of the team’s 84 points. Underclassmen Liam Farley ’18 and Tim Ahn ’19 stepped up midway through the first period and ignited a 14-4 run, putting Bowdoin up 27-18 at the 9:09 mark. The lead that Farley and Ahn established held throughout the rest of the game.
After the Bates game, the Bears lost the next three consecutive NESCAC games against Williams, Amherst and Trinity, in heartbreakers.
“In games we have been really inconsistent—some stretches really good and some not as much,” said Head Coach Tim Gilbride.
The Bears were undeterred by the few losses. They rebounded with a win against Colby this past Saturday.
“It was a must-win game for us for the playoffs, and I thought our team responded really, really well,” said Paleki. “Obviously Colby is a really big rival for us so we have to make sure we are up and have energy for that game.”
The Bears started off strong against Colby, carrying a 42-30 lead going into halftime. The Mules, though, fought back in the beginning of the second half with a 15-point run closing the Bears’ seemingly insurmountable lead. The score remained tight, but Hausman ended it with a three-pointer to seal the victory.
“I thought the team played extremely well on both ends of the floor,” said Palecki. “We took care of the basketball—everyone from the first to the last—and that is what we need to do to win.”
The victory against Colby also brought some bad news. Palecki sprained his ankle during the game
“Matt Palecki got injured early on so both Jack Bors [’19] and Jack Simonds stepped up,” said Hausman. “A bunch of people contributed so we were able to pull it out in the end.”
As a younger team with nine underclassmen and five upperclassmen, many have had to step it up this year to compete against the more experienced players, as well as to fill the loss of veteran starting players, Bryan Hurley ’15, Keegan Pieri ’15 and John Swords ’15.
“We now don’t have a seven-foot center… Jake [Donnelly ’16] has done a great job stepping into those big shoes and commanding our offense and taking it to where it needs to be,” said Palecki. “Obviously it is going to be difficult when you lose those big players. Everyone stepped up accordingly.”
The win over Colby was essential for the Bears to qualify for the NESCAC playoffs.
“We will need to come together as a unit for the rest of the games, and buy into what Coach wants us to do both on offense and on defense,” said Hausman. “I am very optimistic of our chances to make the tournament.”