The men's basketball team saw their win streak of six consecutive games come to an end, suffering a devastating 88-62 loss to NESCAC rival Bates. The two teams met this past Tuesday night in Lewiston in a non-official competition. Both squads now hold a 6-2 record.
Bowdoin got out to a rough start, trailing by 15 points early in the first half. The stifling Bobcat defense and rowdy crowd seemed to rattle the Polar Bear offense. Co-captain Kyle Petrie '06, who has been plagued by foul trouble early in the season, picked up two fouls after only four minutes of play in the game. His limited action on the court throughout the game haunted the Polar Bears.
"As soon as Kyle left the game, we lost momentum and started to fall apart," said guard Antwan Phillips '06.
The stingy Bobcats would not let up on the defensive end and Bowdoin's deficit only increased. Bates continued the charge and increased its lead to 22 points just minutes before the break. They held the Polar Bears to under 30 points in the half, posting a 45-27 score at intermission.
Bates returned to the court to score 43 more points in their cruise control victory. Even though the Polar Bears came out with a better offensive display, they still suffered on the glass. Bowdoin lost a number of second shot opportunities as the Bobcats out-rebounded the Polar Bears by a 46-31 margin.
Sophomore Andrew Hippert led four Polar Bears in double-digit points, logging 15. Junior point guard Kevin Bradley scored 12, Petrie netted 11 points and grabbed ten boards for a double-double, and forward Andrew Sargeantson '08 dropped in ten.
The energy that Bates fans brought to the gymnasium was intense. Sargeantson missed two easy layups in the first half and sophomore center Jordan Fliegel shot an airball from the free-throw line.
Loud chants and cheers from the frenzied audience definitely took a toll on the Bowdoin team.
"It's a tough gym to play in, and things just didn't go our way," said first-year forward Tim Lane.
Bowdoin's second loss of the season came after their sixth straight win over the University of Maine-Maritime on Saturday, December 3. The Polar Bears picked up their third road win, defeating the Mariners 65-55.
The first half was tightly played by both teams, ending the first period of play at an even 27. The score would even out once more in the second half at 52 apiece with nine minutes left in the contest.
Junior forwards Jac Arbour and John Goodridge contributed a free-throw and a three-pointer, respectively, to give Bowdoin a four point advantage with less than eight minutes remaining.
Bowdoin's lead was brought down to a single point with only 3:17 on the clock. Petrie hit a free-throw that was followed by a Hippert long ball that extended the lead to five. Shortly after, Petrie dropped in his own moneyball and secured the victory for the Polar Bears.
Hippert was relentless from three-point range, hitting five of six attempts and scoring a total 21 points.
"I felt pretty good coming into the game and I shot the ball real well," he said. "I hope to continue shooting like this throughout the remainder of the season."
Petrie finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Fliegel contributed nine points and six boards to the victory. The men are back in action tomorrow evening at Colby.