After a period of inconsistency, the men's basketball team appears to be on the verge of finding its rhythm. As the Polar Bears prepare to take their show on the road this weekend in games against Middlebury and Williams, their regained confidence couldn't have come at a better time.
"These are two of the best teams in the country that we'll be facing this weekend," said captain Paul Sellew '10. "So we've got to come ready to play."
Despite an up-and-down season thus far, the Polar Bears remain confident thanks to good performances in its past three games at home.
Taking on perennial NESCAC-powerhouse Amherst, the Polar Bears proved they were capable of competing with some of the best competition they will face this season.
After falling behind by 10 points early in the game, the Polar Bears responded with a 21-8 run to take back the lead.
The teams traded baskets as time ran out in the first half, leaving the Polar Bears trailing by just a single point.
Amherst once again came out of the locker room with a strong run, leaving the score at 58-48 with just over seven minutes left to play in regulation.
After pulling within one point, the Polar Bears could not come up with a defensive stop, but was able to score baskets of their own to leave the score at 68-67 with 12 seconds left.
Forced to foul, the Polar Bears put Amherst's Taylor Barriste on the charity stripe. Barriste missed the first of a 1-and-1 free throw attempt and the ball bounced out of bounds, giving the Polar Bears one final chance to attempt to complete their impressive comeback.
A put-back by Mark Philips '10 did just that, giving Bowdoin a thrilling 69-68 win.
In the team's second game of the weekend—this time against the Trinity Bantams—the Polar Bears found themselves engaged in a back-and-forth tussle for the entire game.
Making almost 60 percent of their shots, the Polar Bears raced out to a 36-29 halftime lead.
After allowing the Bantams to pull within a single point, Bowdoin responded by clamping down on the defensive end of the floor. Trinity missed its final nine shots, giving the Polar Bears the weekend NESCAC sweep with a 60-56 victory.
In the team's final game of the week, the Polar Bears fell victim to the sharp shooting of Plymouth State, who hurried out to a 36-27 halftime advantage.
In the second half, the Polar Bears continued to struggle from the field, falling behind by as much as 15 points before sophomore Will Hanley went on an 11-point tear down the stretch to give his team a chance.
The Polar Bears ramped up their defensive pressure in the game's final minutes, holding Plymouth State scoreless over the final three minutes.
But despite having multiple opportunities to win the game, including a floater in the lane and an offensive put-back attempt on the game's last possession, the Polar Bears could not pull off their second thrilling comeback of the week.
"We made some adjustments defensively that really helped us make a run," Sellew said. "Unfortunately, we came up short."
Nonetheless, the Polar Bears, whose record now stands at 11-8 (3-2 NESCAC), have the self-assurance of knowing they can compete.
"[These wins against NESCAC opponents] definitely give us confidence," Sellew said. "It kind of puts us back on the map as a team that could make a run."