In an electric atmosphere at Morrell Gymnasium, the men's basketball team took on its rival team, the Bates Bobcats, Thursday evening. Bowdoin jumped out to an early lead, but Bates would not give in, battling back to within three points with a minute left in regulation.
A loose ball foul on Bates saved Bowdoin from a disastrous turnover and gave guard, Randy Defeo '11, a chance to give Bowdoin a two-possession advantage—and he did just that.
"We've got some veteran guards who have been in big situations before and that's helped us pull out some close victories with clutch free throws," said coach Tim Gilbride.
In a furious final 30 seconds, Bates responded to the deficit with a quick three-pointer set up by the team's quick pass plays to cut the deficit to two points.
Bowdoin succeeded in inbounding the ball to give Mike Hauser '10 a chance to extend the team's lead. He responded by sinking both free throws, but committed a mistake on the defensive end of the floor, fouling a shooter from behind the three-point line.
The Bates shooter made the first two free throws before missing the third, but Bowdoin was unable to come away with the rebound, giving Bates one last chance to tie or win the game. Paul Sellew '10 had other ideas, stealing the inbounds pass and setting up Will Hanley '12 with an easy layup to put the game on ice.
"I didn't want to let [guard Chris Wilson] get a chance to take a three," said Sellew. "He's one of the best players in the league so I was playing him pretty close. When I got the steal I didn't know what to do. Some people told me I was wide open and should've gone in for the dunk, but I'll take the win."
Mark Philips '10 led the team with 14 points while Hanley added eight points and 11 rebounds. With its thrilling 71-67 win, Bowdoin improved to 4-1 early in the season.
In the season opener on November 20 against Fitchburg State, the team displayed an aggressive offensive attack and a strong defensive performance. Hanley led the team with an efficient 17 points in 20 minutes, hitting seven of nine shots from the floor.
After racing out to a big halftime lead, there was no looking back as the team cruised to an 81-51 win. The team shot an impressive 58.8 percent from the field as four players reached double figures in points including point guard Justin Nowell '12, who had a career-high 14 points coming off the bench.
"We're trying to integrate some younger players with the veterans and that can be difficult," said Gilbride, "but our guys have worked hard and continue to get more comfortable playing together."
The team could not build on the momentum of its opening day victory however, as it suffered a heartbreaking, overtime defeat against Eastern Connecticut State the next day. Sellew led the way with 19 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the tenacious Warriors.
In a tight game, Bowdoin trailed by three with just a few seconds left on the clock. Sellew got the ball behind the three-point line and nailed his shot to send the game into overtime. But the Warriors proved to be too much for the Polar Bears and handed Bowdoin its first loss of the season.
Bowdoin bounced back quickly on November 20 with another easy win over the University of New England. Philips led the team with 20 points and guard Ryan O'Connell '12 added 18 points to lead Bowdoin to an 80-64 win.
The Polar Bears looked to continue their early season dominance on December 1 against the University of Southern Maine, and seemed to be doing just that as they raced out to a 20-point lead early in the second half. But Southern Maine refused to give in, going on a 28-8 run to erase the deficit with 10 minutes to play.
Hanley, the game's leading scorer, came up with the biggest basket of the game, slashing to the hoop to give Bowdoin the lead and, ultimately, the game. Hanley finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds while O'Connell and Philips added 14 points apiece in the team's 68-66 victory.
"This is a really fun group of guys to coach," said Gilbride, "They're very enthusiastic and motivated to continue getting better."
The Polar Bears will look to build on their early season success when they travel to take on Maine Maritime next Tuesday.