The No. 22 women’s basketball team enters the weekend at 18-3 (5-2 NESCAC) after falling to then-No. 13 Amherst 65-57 in a hard-fought battle last Saturday. It was the women’s first home loss this season.
“It was a tough loss,” said Head Coach Adrienne Shibles. “[Amherst was] super physical and we didn’t consistently respond.”
Bowdoin top scorers were Sara Binkhorst ’15 with 19 points and Shannon Brady ’16 with nine. Kirsten Prue ’14 and Megan Phelps ’15 each put eight points on the board. Brady leads the NESCAC in field goal percentage at 57 percent and is fifth in points per game with 14. Binkhorst is tenth in PPG with 12.8. Prue leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage at 42.9 percent.
Amherst dominated the boards, outrebounding Bowdoin 45-34. Lackluster free throw shooting also hurt the Polar Bears, who only shot 55.6 percent from the line (10-18), compared to Amherst’s 69.2 percent (18-26).
“The Amherst loss was frustrating for us but has definitely sparked our intensity and focus on the upcoming games,” said Prue. “We don’t want to lose another game and we know what we need to work on to make sure that happens.”
Despite Saturday’s loss, the team had one of its strongest outings against Trinity the night before, winning by a score of 59-46.
Although the Polar Bears only led by eight at the half, they went on a 25-4 run at the start of the second. Trinity could not close the gap.
Binkhorst had a game-high 17 points while Phelps posted 15 points and nine rebounds.
“[Binkhorst] had an impressive game and [Phelps] was rock solid off the bench,” said Shibles.
Bowdoin converted 43 percent of its shots from the field and outrebounded Trinity 41-32. Trinity shot 27 percent on the game.
“This was a great win for us because we executed the game plan we had been working on in practice all week,” said Prue. “Our defensive intensity and intelligence threw them off of their game.”
This game featured a matchup between two sisters, Trinity senior Abigail Hancock and Bowdoin guard Sydney Hancock ’17. The two last played on the same court four years ago in high school. They met this time as opponents.
“Playing against [Abigail] at the collegiate level made me really appreciate having had her as a role model,” said Sydney Hancock. “[My sister] is one of the reasons I am playing at the level I am today.”
This past weekend Bowdoin honored three seniors: Prue, Anna Prohl and Allie Piscina.
“The three seniors are amazing,” said Shibles. “They’ve each had an impressive journey [and] I cannot thank them enough for their contributions.”
Career highlights for Prue, Prohl and Piscina include reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 with Bowdoin in 2011 and 2012.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of this team for the past four years. I have made many lifelong friendships and memories that I wouldn’t trade for the world,” said Prue. “As time is winding down I feel myself appreciating every second that I have with my team more than I ever have. Every game, practice and moment with my team is precious and I am determined to never let it end.”
Bowdoin has three games left in the regular season against Middlebury, Bates and Tufts. The team will travel to Middlebury this Sunday.