The Bowdoin Men's Basketball Team (5-2) squeaked by Colby-Sawyer (2-6) on Thursday night.
With the score tied 65-65 and 4:53 left in the game, the Polar Bears were on the brink of being upset by the Chargers. But a late fourth-quarter surge put the Bears ahead in a close 82-78 victory.
Junior Andrew Hippert led the Bears with 20 points, while sophomore Kyle Jackson racked up a noteworthy 15 points.
But on Saturday, the Bears were on the wrong end of a classic match between two bitter rivals.
The Polar Bears played host to 21st-ranked Bates College with a gymnasium packed with cheering fans anticipating a close game. But the night ended with the Polar Bears on the loser's end of a 61-60 final score.
The two teams played each other evenly in the first half with Bowdoin taking a one-point advantage (33-32) into halftime thanks to a pair of free-throws from first-year Mark Phillips.
The Polar Bears were able to extend their lead to nine points in the second half thanks to some sure shooting from Hippert (21 points, 6-9 3PFG) and Jackson (13 points).
The Bears displayed sound defense throughout the game, most notably from the duo of Andrew Sargeantson '08 and Tim Lane '09, who combined to hold Bobcats star Rob Stockwell to only 11 points.
But behind the sharp shooting of Bryan Wholey (16 points), the Bobcats staged a comeback to tie the game with under a minute remaining. Jordan Fliegel '08 was able to put the Polar Bears up one by knocking down one of two shots from the foul line. The Bears then committed a foul, sending the Bobcats to the line where they went one for two. On the subsequent rebound, Fliegel was whistled for a personal foul. The Bobcats yet again went one for two from the line.
After a timeout the Bears launched an unanswered long-distance prayer and left the gym with a heart-wrenching one-point loss and a four-game winning streak snapped.
"It's never easy losing a game like this against your rivals, especially that way," said co-captain Kevin Bradley '07, who entered the game as co-NESCAC player of the week. "But there are definitely some positives we can take from this game."
"We played a very good team and were able to sustain a lead throughout most of the game," he added. "We weren't able to leave with a victory, but I'm proud of the effort we put forth. Every player who stepped on the court played his heart out and played well and contributed some things. That's the kind of effort we need every game in order to keep getting better and I'm certain we will."
On Saturday, the Bears will welcome a 4-3 Colby team to Morrell Gymnasium for a 5 p.m. game.