The men's basketball season came to an end after a 78-59 loss to Wesleyan in the NESCAC quarterfinals last Saturday.
Though the game remained close for much of the first half, Wesleyan went on a 14-4 run to end the half with a 36-24 lead. The Cardinals continued to pull away after halftime, powered by double-digit performances by Mike Callaghan, Derick Beresford and Shasha Brown.
Although senior captains Will Hanley and Ryan O'Connell each scored 22 points, the team faltered in transition. Bowdoin committed 14 turnovers, which the Cardinals capitalized on to score 25 points. Meanwhile, Wesleyan only had five turnovers, allowing Bowdoin an inconsequential six points.
In addition, Bowdoin had trouble shooting the ball. Although the Polar Bears finished second in the NESCAC in field goal percentage, connecting on 49 percent of their shots during the regular season, they only shot 37 percent on Saturday.
Furthermore, the team struggled off the bench—one of its regular-season strengths. Bowdoin only had six points from its reserves, a season low. Wyatt Littles '12, who averaged over seven points per game in the regular season, only scored once in his 22 minutes of playing time.
Despite the loss, Bowdoin capped off a strong season under Head Coach Tim Gilbride. With a 17-8 record overall, this season tied the 2008-2009 season as the fourth best in Bowdoin's history. Bowdoin finished with a 5-5 NESCAC record, tying Bates and Williams for fifth in the conference.
Bowdoin faces a challenge next year, as the Polar Bears will graduate five seniors: O'Connell, Littles and Hanley, as well as Justin Nowell and Tom Carter.
O'Connell, who started as a guard, had a breakout year, including two dominant performances at Middlebury and Williams. O'Connell finished the year having made 43 percent of his 3-pointers, and 368 points total.
Hanley capped a stellar four-year campaign by leading the Polar Bears with 18.4 points per game—second in the NESCAC—this season. Hanley also led the NESCAC in rebounds, averaging 11.4 per game. Hanley's 1,490 career points is sixth in program history, while his 883 boards are second.
With only two rising seniors, the Polar Bears will be a much younger team next season.
The squad will look to another Andrew Madlinger '14, who shot 47.5 percent from behind the three-point line. Bowdoin will also rely more on the current first year class, led by starting point guard Bryan Hurley and center John Swords.