The Polar Bears improved their already impressive record to 14-3 Tuesday, defeating the Maine Maritime Academy Mariners by a score of 64-52. The team will face a pair of difficult matchups this weekend, playing Amherst today and Trinity on Saturday.
Coach Adrienne Shibles attributed Tuesday's victory to her team's strong defensive play.
"The key to our win over Maine Maritime on Tuesday was most certainly our defensive intensity," she said. "The women really hustled in the backcourt and created several turnovers."
Bowdoin's overwhelming defensive effort helped the team hold the Mariners to 36 percent from the field and force a total of 14 turnovers. While the score remained close in the first half, the Polar Bears took a commanding lead upon returning from halftime, leading at times by as many as 17 points.
"Amy Hackett '12 and Katie Bergeron '11 did a fantastic job of getting to the rim on dribble penetration," said Shibles.
Top scorers for Bowdoin were Hackett with a career-high 16 points and Bergeron with 14 points in addition to eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Leah Rubega '10 scored nine points total and put forth a strong performance on the boards with eight rebounds.
The Polar Bears did not fare as well Saturday against the Tufts University Jumbos. With both teams shooting less than 30 percent in the first half, Bowdoin entered the locker room with a mere three-point advantage.
The Jumbos pulled away in the second half shooting 54.5 percent and outscoring the Polar Bears 34-19.
No Polar Bear managed to score in the double digits in the game. Ellery Gould '12 ended the game with nine points and Rubega finished with eight points and 12 boards. Bowdoin ultimately fell to Tufts with a final score of 52-40.
The Bowdoin women breezed by Bates for the second time this season last Friday by a score of 63-42. The Polar Bear defense suffocated the Bates Bobcats and helped the team head into the locker room with an 11-point lead at the end of the first half.
The Polar Bears surged ahead after returning from the intermission, shooting an impressive 58.3 percent in the second half. Caitlin Hynes '10 led the team with a game-high 17 points, followed by Bergeron with 11. The Polar Bears also beat out the Bobcats 40-28 on the boards.
On January 16, the Colby College Mules bested the Bowdoin Polar Bears for the first time since 2001 and for the first time in their last 19 matchups by a score of 64-56. The teams were neck and neck for the majority of the game, and Bowdoin was up by a narrow two-point margin at the half. After the break, the Mules pulled away holding the Polar Bears scoreless for large intervals.
Bowdoin has a difficult weekend ahead with back-to-back games against the undefeated Amherst College (17-0) and Trinity College (14-3).
"It is critical that we have a good weekend versus Amherst and Trinity," said Shibles. "Both teams are having outstanding seasons, and we must bring our best basketball to both contests. There is so much parity in the conference this year, and any team can win on any given night. The difference in most conference games this year will come down to preparation, execution, focus and intensity."