Just five games into its season, the women's basketball team has already had its fair share of ups and downs. The team stands at a 3-2 mark, but has lost one of its marquee players for the season.
Senior forward Jill Anelauskas suffered ACL and MCL tears last week and will be unable to return to the court for her final season this year. Anelauskas became just the 11th player in Bowdoin history to score 1,000 points in a career in the team's opening win against Western Connecticut State. Her injury will be a tough one for the team to cope with.
Anelauskas reached the 1,000 point milestone in just over three seasons.
"It was an incredible moment for her that reflected so well on her career at Bowdoin," said senior tri-captain Maria Noucas. "The fact that only 11 Polar Bears in our program have scored 1,000 points and that Jill is one of them is such a great honor for her."
Noucas described Anelauskas' injury as "a huge loss" for the team, but expressed hope that the team's depth will help to overcome it.
"The thing is that Jill is an incredible leader and her presence will never leave the team," Noucas said. "She will still have a large impact on how successful we are regardless of whether she is playing or not."
Even without Anelauskas, the Polar Bears will be a formidable threat to opponents this year. They reached the finals of the Brandeis Tip-off Tournament in the season's opening weekend by beating Western Connecticut State, and have logged wins against University of New England and Salve Regina.
After a second-half comeback saw the Polar Bears tie the game with under two minutes to go, Bowdoin fell to rival University of Southern Maine on Tuesday, 75-72.
Bowdoin was down by as much as 15 points early in the second half, but Noucas' five three-pointers helped the Polar Bears battle back, though the rally fell just short. Noucas finished with a team-high 18 points while Sabrina Cote '10 added 13 points and forward Leah Rubega '10 chipped in nine rebounds.
"The two early losses have definitely been tough, but we have learned so much from them," Noucas said. "Scoring 53 points in the second half against USM gave us a lot of confidence and we know that we have a lot of offensive weapons. We have incredible potential and I think we are beginning to realize that."
Fellow tri-captain Alexa Kaubris '09 believes that suffering two tough defeats early in the season may actually help better prepare the team for success when it really matters.
"Playing in a tough game like that [against USM] just makes you want it that much more the next time you step on the floor," Kaubris said. "Having these experiences so early in the season is definitely not a bad thing."
The team is counting on the resurgence of Rubega.
Last week, Rubega helped lead the team to two non-conference wins with consecutive double-doubles and netted NESCAC Player of the Week honors. Against Salve Regina, Rubega posted 18 points and rebounds to lead the team in both categories.
"Leah is a great post player," Noucas said. "She has great hands and a great feel around the basket. When she gets the ball inside, you just know good things are going to happen." Rubega always works hard and "never gives up on the boards and I think that her rebounding statistics reflect that," she added.
After suffering two tough losses and an even tougher injury, the team will have to rely on its depth going forward. "We have so many offensive threats," Aneluaskas, a tri-captain, said. "Almost everyone on the team can shoot the three, dribble, and drive... We take every practice one at a time and focus on improving a little bit everyday."