In a season that began with so much promise, the men's basketball team is finally limping closer to the finish line.
The Polar Bears will have two more chances to redeem what has, so far, been a disappointing season for the team when they host NESCAC opponents Wesleyan and Connecticut College on Friday and Saturday.
"We just haven't been able to string victories together this year," senior captain Paul Sellew said. "We've lost some close games, but we've also lost some blowouts."
After a pair of thrilling NESCAC victories over Amherst and Trinity the previous week, Bowdoin seemed primed for a late-season turnaround.
Instead, the Polar Bears struggled to recapture the form that gave their season a glimmer of hope, dropping three games in a row before Tuesday night's double-digit victory against Bridgewater State.
Last Friday, the Polar Bears traveled to take on the Middlebury Panthers—ranked second in the NESCAC.
Bowdoin started off the game hot, jumping out to an early 14-6 lead, but the Polar Bears could not hold their advantage, and went into halftime trailing by a score of 38-25.
A 15-2 Middlebury run at the start of the second half put the Panthers up by over 25 points, but Bowdoin showed its fight and made the Panthers work for the win.
Led by sophomore Ryan O'Connell and senior Mark Philips, the Polar Bears ripped off a 27-11 run to bring the deficit within ten. That would be as close as Bowdoin would get, however, as the team ultimately lost by a score of 76-65.
Looking to rebound from their disappointing defeat to Middlebury, the Polar Bears traveled to Williams College on Saturday to take on the top-ranked team in the NESCAC.
The Ephs put on a clinical shooting performance, dismantling the Polar Bears in what became Bowdoin's worst loss of the season. The Ephs shot 68 percent from the field during the first half and 69 percent from beyond the arc to jump out to a 47-31 lead.
The Polar Bears could not find an answer for Williams' dominating display of shooting prowess, and fell to the Ephs by a final score of 97-54.
"It was a tough weekend," said Sellew. "But I'm confident we can bounce back."
The team returned home on Tuesday to take on the fourth-ranked team in New England, Bridgewater State. Refusing to let their weekend losses carry over into the week, Philips led the Polar Bears to a 24-5 lead with nine quick points after just eight minutes of play.
Led by a dominant all-around performance from sophomore Will Hanley, the Polar Bears never trailed and cruised to a 68-57 victory, shooting.
Hanley's 15-point, 17-rebound, six-assist performance was complemented by double-digit point totals from O'Connell, Philips and Sellew.
"It was great to get back on track after [losses to Middlebury and Williams]," said Sellew.
If Bowdoin is able to sweep its games this weekend, the Polar Bears would have an opportunity to host a first-round NESCAC playoff game.
"It's a big weekend for us, both in terms of our postseason seeding and the fact that it's senior weekend for Mark, Mike and I," Sellew added.