The women’s basketball team pummeled Williams 71-46 in its NESCAC quarterfinal game, advancing to play Amherst in the semifinals at Tufts tomorrow. On Sunday, the winner will play the victor of Trinity-Tufts.
“We had a phenomenal start to the game,” said Head Coach Adrienne Shibles. “We really came out aggressive. Our defense was much better this time around, and we worked really hard on it in practice all week. I thought that made the biggest difference: our defensive intensity to start. It really generated our offense.”
Eight minutes into the game, the Polar Bears had a 21-2 lead. By halftime, they led the Ephs 43-15.
“We had great offensive production from everyone on the team, and we had a team defensive mentality that really shut them down,” said captain Sara Binkhorst ’15.
Binkhorst scored a game-high 22 points, seven assists and two steals.
Captain Megan Phelps ’15 spoke highly of Binkhorst’s game.
“Sara Binkhorst had key contributions—not only with her play but with her leadership and intensity,” Phelps wrote in an email to the Orient.
“[Binkhorst] was just a spark plug for us on both ends of the court,” added Shibles. “I thought she had her best game of the year. She’s an important leader for our team, and really sets the tone on both ends of the court.”
Shannon Brady ’16 added 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Phelps scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds and Siena Mitman ’15 contributed ten points and six boards.
Despite the score, the two teams appeared to be evenly matched on paper. Both teams entered the game with 20-4 records, and one of Bowdoin’s four regular season losses was a 69-55 defeat to the Ephs in January.
“Even though they’re ranked sixth in the conference, they’re ranked above us in the region and in the nation,” said Shibles. “They’re a super talented team. Our intensity and readiness made a big difference in the outcome of the game this time around.”
Bowdoin’s strong defense prevailed in stopping Williams.
“I think Kirsten Prue [’14] is really under-recognized,” said Shibles. “She guarded [Ellen Cook] for Williams, who’s a phenomenal player. She really shut her down. I think she had six or seven points.“
With the win, Bowdoin now has a 22-0 all-time record at home NESCAC tournament games.
“Morrell is amazing, and I’m sure it’s an intimidating place to play,” wrote Phelps. “We are very lucky to have an amazing fan base both from the school and surrounding community. I also think there’s definitely some extra pride when you play on your home court—it definitely fires us up.”
Binkhorst cited the program’s history as another source of motivation.
“Bowdoin women’s basketball has a great tradition of excellence,” she said. “Going into these games knowing the history behind them, you just play with a lot of pride. You play for your program, and for all the players who have played here in the past.”
Shibles mentioned the Polar Bears had a secret weapon working in their favor, as well.
“[Director of Counseling Services] Bernie Hershberger was really helpful with mental preparation,” she said. “He did a visualization session with them the morning before the game. He’s always wonderful with helping to prepare the team for our games.”
Following the Tufts-Trinity matchup at 2 p.m., Bowdoin will play Amherst at 4 p.m.
“[Amherst plays] amazing defense,” said Shibles. “They’re a tough, physical team. They shoot exceptionally well from the outside, yet they have good interior players, and they have some players back that have been injured.”
“We’re expecting a tough game against them, but we’re really excited about this opportunity to see them again. It’s always great to be able to face the opponents that we’ve lost to in the regular season. So it was great to see Williams again, and now we’re really excited about another chance to face off with Amherst,” she added.
Bowdoin suffered their first home loss of the season at the hands of Amherst in early February. The team was ahead for a combined 10 minutes in the 65-57 battle, but could not rebound after losing the lead with 11 minutes left in the game. The Polar Bears were met with a balanced attack from the Lady Jeffs, who had five players in double digits compared to Bowdoin’s one. Amherst also showed impressive depth from their bench, who contributed 26 points compared to the Polar Bears’ 15. Bowdoin will seek revenge against the Jeffs, who beat them in the NESCAC semifinals last year.
The team hopes to carry their recent momentum into tomorrow’s game.
“The team’s just really coming together right now; we’re really playing great team basketball,” said Binkhorst. “I think moving forward, if we just continue that, it’s going to be really hard for teams to stop all of us. Everyone’s being a threat and contributing.”