Capping off a big weekend for Bowdoin sports, the women's basketball team won its seventh-straight NESCAC championship and secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Division III tournament.
The team sprinted through the conference tournament over the weekend, beating Williams 66-46 on Saturday, and rolling past Tufts 64-48 on Sunday in the championship showdown.
In both of the weekend's games, the Polar Bears (26-1) started off slowly but counted on decisive second-half runs to put their opponents away.
On Saturday, the team faced unexpected pressure from Williams and only led by one at halftime. After the break, however, Bowdoin shot an astounding 62.5 percent from the field while holding the Ephs to a 30 percent mark.
In the championship game on Sunday, the team made only one of its first 14 shots and Tufts held a one-point halftime lead. The Polar Bears once again took control in the second half and, after a 10-1 run early, never looked back.
"In both games we came out dominant in the second half because we really felt a sense of urgency," said senior tri-captain Eileen Flaherty. "A ton of people stepped up and made big plays for us at crucial moments."
The title of NESCAC champion is not new for the Polar Bears. Bowdoin is the only team to win the title in the seven years it has been up for grabs.
"Winning the NESCAC title seven consecutive years feels awesome," said Head Coach Stefanie Pemper. "It's a grueling weekend physically and mentally and to come out on top feels absolutely wonderful."
Flaherty has won a NESCAC championship in all of her four years at Bowdoin.
"It says a ton about our program and how proud of Bowdoin basketball our team is," said Flaherty.
For her efforts over the successful weekend, senior tri-captain Julia Loonin was named NESCAC player of the week. Loonin sparked the Polar Bears' second-half surges in both games, hitting three decisive three-pointers in the second half on Saturday and draining eight second-half points against Tufts.
"Julia's performance gave me chills," Pemper said. "Her confidence, her leadership, and her skills were out in full force and she is just so fun to watch in those moments. She's a great player."
Loonin was not the only Polar Bear player to be honored this week. Flaherty was nominated for the celebrated Josten's Trophy, awarded each year to Division III's best basketball student-athletes in the nation.
"I'm really flattered to be nominated for such a prestigious award," said Flaherty. "Everyone that is a finalist is so accomplished?I'm really proud to be included in such great company."
On Wednesday, the NESCAC also honored its best players. Flaherty, the leading scorer in the conference, averaging 18.1 points per game, was named player of the year. She is also the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 6.1 boards a game and the only Bowdoin player to ever reach the 1,700 point plateau. She had scored 1,780 points in her career at the start of her final NCAA tournament. She was also named a NESCAC First-Team All-Star.
"What makes Eileen special is her consistent confidence, her boldness, her team-first attitude and work ethic, and her sportsmanship," said Pemper. "She is humble and she is coachable and as a result she has improved her game and continued to be among the best players in New England for four years."
Sophomore Jill Anelauskas joins Flaherty on the All-NESCAC squad. Anelauskas is averaging 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the Polar Bears. Senior tri-captain Katie Cummings was also among those honored on Wednesday when she was named Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Cummings stands at ninth all-time with 168 career steals, and led the league with 68 this year alone.
Championship dreamsWith the NESCAC trophy in hand, the Polar Bears begin their quest for a national championship tonight. The team is the No. 1 seed in its quarter of the bracket of the NCAA tournament and will play host to first- and second-round games this weekend. The Polar Bears will look to knock off first-round foe Mt. Holyoke (21-7) today at 7 p.m. To ensure an NCAA tournament bid, the Lyons beat Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference championship last Sunday.
"Mt. Holyoke has one of the better backcourts we've faced all year in Joeanna Silvey and Angela Astuccio," said Pemper. "They are very well-coached and they're coming off a big win in the NEWMAC final. Their program has been one of the top in New England the past three years and we expect a great effort and a great game."
The early match-up tonight pits Maine Maritime (25-3) against Keene St. (21-6). The winners of Friday's games will play each other on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Morrell Gym in an NCAA second-round contest.
"I think that even though we think winning NESCACs was great, we have even loftier goals set for ourselves," said Flaherty.
Women's basketball is the only Bowdoin team to have played for a national championship, when it finished second in the nation in 2004. Heading into this year's tournament a favorite, the team hopes to bring a national title to Brunswick for the first time.