The men’s basketball team moved up one spot in the D-III rankings to No. 18 after a 2-1 week with wins over Thomas College and Trinity College, only losing to then-No. 3 Amherst. The wins improved Bowdoin’s record to 18-2 (5-2 NESCAC).
Last Friday, in a low-scoring affair, the Polar Bears defeated the Trinity College Bantams (11-9, 3-4 NESCAC) 46-39. Seven-footer John Swords ’15 led the way for Bowdoin with 11 points along with six rebounds and four blocks, while Andrew Madlinger ’14 scored nine points with seven rebounds and four assists. Stout defensive performance by both teams kept the scoring low—each team shot only 28 percent from the field.
“Our defense is ranked second [in points allowed] in D-III,” Madlinger said. “And although that game was extremely low scoring, we do tend to hold teams to low scores.”
The Polar Bears also won the turnover battle, turning the ball over only seven times compared to the Bantams’ 14—another one of the major reasons for the victory. A Swords dunk to give Bowdoin an 11-point lead with less than five minutes remaining proved to be the dagger for Trinity, as the Polar Bears held on for a seven point victory.
The very next day—Senior Day for the Polar Bears—Bowdoin was given the tough task of playing defending national champion Amherst. In what proved to be a thrilling back-and-forth game, the Jeffs (17-3, 6-1 NESCAC) barely held on to a 70-67 victory, surviving a late surge by the Polar Bears. Madlinger turned in one of his best performances of the season, scoring 19 points and shooting 5-6 from beyond the arc. Seniors Matt Mathias (13 points) and Grant White (11 points, 8 rebounds) also turned in impressive performances on Senior Day.
White, who used to play football and had to deal with multiple injuries, is in his first full season playing basketball.
“This year he was completely dedicated to basketball,” Madlinger said. “So I think that is one of the main reasons that we are a better team this year. Just adding another guard to the mix. He’s a great athlete.”
“Grant has done an outstanding job for us,” Head Coach Tim Gilbride added. “He’s very athletic—trying to shut down the bigger scorers on other team most games.”
Mathias has also taken on a larger role this year, taking over most of the point guard duties since Bryan Hurley ’15 has been sidelined with a knee injury.
“Matt’s had to take over the complete role of being our point guard this year,” Gilbride said. “He’s really stepped up.”
Trailing by eight early in the second half, the Jeffs hit seven three-pointers in eight minutes to take a seven-point lead. The Polar Bears fought back, however, and narrowed the lead to only one in the final minute after a Madlinger three and a Swords free throw. But, Amherst sealed the victory with two clutch free throws and escaped a last second effort by the Polar Bears to tie the game.
Earlier this week, the Polar Bears struggled early—trailing at half—but capitalized on a late surge to defeat Plymouth State 58-49.
While it could be looked at as a letdown game after playing Amherst, Gilbride credited Plymouth State for its hot shooting.
“I thought they played extremely well,” he said. “In the first half, they were 5-7 from the three-point line and they got a lot of looks they wanted, and they made them.”
Looking forward, the Polar Bears have three remaining games—the first this coming Sunday against fourth-place Middlebury. With the Panthers trailing the Polar Bears in the NESCAC standings by only a game and a half, this weekend’s showdown is very important for both teams.
“It’s absolutely huge for our season,” Madlinger said. “We really wanted to be a contender in both the NESCAC and national tournaments—those were the two goals we set before the season—so finishing strong here is huge.”
The other two games will be against Bates and Tufts next weekend.
Gilbride said he was sure not to look too far ahead, however, instead choosing to focus on this weekend’s game.
“I don’t want to go there yet. I’m focused on Middlebury right now,” he said.