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Volume CXXXII, Number 15 |
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Men's basketball team ends five-game skid with win against Bates
BOBBY DESAULNIERS
STAFF WRITER
The Bowdoin Men's Basketball Team ended a five game losing streak with an 84-59 trouncing of in-state rival Bates College last Saturday. The key to this victory was clearly defense, as the team gave up only 28 points in the first half.
By collapsing passing lanes and playing tight defense in the paint, the Bears frustrated the Bobcats, forcing them to rely on a one-dimensional outside shooting attack. As the third-to-last game of the year, it was crucial that the Bears re-injected the winning tradition into their bloodstream.
The story of the second half of the season for the Bears has been winning big games with their backs against the wall. The win over Maine Maritime in late January cured their "winter break virus" where they snapped a six game losing streak. Saturday's win tasted even better as it not only broke their two week skid, but also helped them move up in the ranks for the post season tournament. To add to the significance of the win, Bates boasted a 16-4 record going into the game.
Out of the five previous losses, four were in-league. Inspired by their impressive showing in lovely Lewiston, the Bears are determined to run the table in its remaining games. T.J. Macleod '04 spoke about the win and said, "The Bates game was a huge slump-buster for us. Bates is a team that has a good overall record, but their weaknesses are clear. We did a great job in exploiting those weaknesses through tough defense. Bottom line, we knew what we had to do and we did it."
The Bears seemed to have lost some intrinsic confidence in the games prior to Bates. In the Middlebury game two weeks ago, the Bears blew a second half 20-point lead. Against Tufts last weekend, the Bears were tied with the Jumbos with three and a half minutes remaining. However, the Polar Bears allowed the Jumbos to run away with a ten-point victory. In these tight situations, Bowdoin became conservative and tried not to make mistakes rather than creating shots for themselves and burying their opponent.
On Saturday, however, the Bears did not let the game be decided in the closing minutes of play. They played confidently and constantly kept the scent of victory within wafting distance instead of continually chasing it. The Bears built an early lead and kept the pressure on. Instead of attempting to protect this lead, they truly buried Bates.
On Tuesday night, the Bears extended their unbeaten streak, beating U-Maine Farmington by four. Kyle Petrie '05 put up 21 points and Danny Ginn '03 scored 15 against the Beavers, for whom his brother plays. As great as sibling domination feels, the fact that the Polar Bears are going into their final game this weekend at Colby with two big wins under their belt feels even better.
Colby, a young team, is in the same boat as Bowdoin-in need of wins for right to play after next weekend. The Bears took the Mules into double overtime in their last meeting, but ultimately came up short. The Bears hope to extinguish their sterile competition much earlier this time. With the team on a roll, Bowdoin will stroll into Waterville confidently and do just that.
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