Winter Break offered no rest for the Bowdoin Women's Basketball Team. Instead, the Polar Bears faced some of its most difficult competition to date.
The big news from January was the team's home loss to Maine Maritime Academy on January 17, 51-49. That's right, it's no typo?the Bowdoin Women's Basketball Team lost at home. Until the Bears' loss to Maine Maritime, the team had not lost in Morrell Gymnasium since February 10, 2001, against Colby. The team's 76-game home win streak ranks third in Division III and fifth in NCAA Women's Basketball history.
"The home court win streak meant a lot to us," coach Stefanie Pemper said. "It's harder to stay on top than it is to get to the top, and all the women who have played for us the past seven years deserve a lot of credit for focusing on the team and on the process of becoming the best we can be. For that reason, last Wednesday night was a sad night. The streak wasn't just about us, it was a nice tribute to those alums, and seeing it come to an end was hard."
The win streak came to an end in dramatic fashion when Maine Maritime senior forward Michelle Gott-Stilwell hit an arcing three at the buzzer to beat the Polar Bears.
While the team was proud of the incredible streak, said senior captain Eileen Flaherty, it did not define the players.
Basketball season is still in full swing and the team is looking to keep another streak alive. The Polar Bears are the only team in the nation to make five consecutive NCAA Elite Eight appearances and have won the NESCAC conference championship for the last six years.
The loss at home was tough to bear, but the team bounced back in great form with crucial road wins over NESCAC foes Connecticut College and Wesleyan University. The Wesleyan game was one of the Polar Bears' toughest games of the season, but they managed a 61-58 win.
"The loss was tough but it's not really about the streak," Flaherty said. "We were all proud of it, especially us seniors, but we never worried about it that much. I think the two wins in Connecticut this past weekend were crucial in regrouping the team and showing our resilience and perseverance."
The Wesleyan game?not the loss at home?may prove to be the defining moment of the season for the team.
"Eileen Flaherty and Jill Anelauskas were fantastic, Alexa Kaubris was solid all game, and Katie Cummings was mildly heroic battling through an ankle sprain to hit a big three," Pemper said. "It was definitely a gritty win. Wesleyan is always one of the toughest teams in the league and beating them on their home court with our confidence a little shaken was awesome."
The Polar Bears' 10-1 record over Winter Break leaves them in great position for the postseason and the team is still 4-0 in league play.
"We are definitely happy with the NESCAC wins so far because each one is so important," Flaherty said. "But we also have a lot of big NESCAC games coming up that we are excited to play. A big part of our league standing will be determined in these upcoming weekends."
The team is on the road this week, challenging Trinity, Amherst, and Bates.