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Volume CXXXIII, Number 14 |
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Men end regular season play with three-game winning streak
MARIO LOPEZ
STAFF WRITER
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| Teddy Ligon '06 looks for the play from his spot at forward. The team hopes to improve its 15-8 record this weekend with a matchup against Colby at home tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
After winning eight of its last nine games, the Bowdoin Men's Basketball Team looks to conclude the regular season with a win over Colby College at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow. The team currently has an overall record of 15-8 and is 5-3 in the NESCAC. Last weekend, the squad beat Tufts University 77-65, rival Bates College 62-55, and on Monday night defeated Maine-Maritime Academy 66-55.
Four Bowdoin players scored in double-figures last Friday as the Tufts Jumbos were simply unprepared for the outstanding team play of the Polar Bears. Bowdoin made an early statement by taking an impressive 12-3 lead after just three minutes of play in the contest. Moments later, Kyle Petrie '06 recovered a loose ball to lead a fast break that resulted in a monstrous dunk by Mark Yakavonis '05. "I'm not quite sure what I was thinking at the time, but that was by far my best dunk ever," said Yakavonis.
The Jumbos cut Bowdoin's lead to just six points halfway through the first half, but John Goodridge '07 and Sean Walker '05 collaborated to hit consecutive three-pointers, which sparked a 13-1 Bowdoin run. Bowdoin finished the period leading 33-18.
The Polar Bears put the game away in the second half as they jumped out to a 13-0 run after only five minutes transpired in the second half. The Jumbos attempted to make a run of their own inside the two-minute mark, but time was against them.
Kevin Bradley '07 had a game high 15 points, while Petrie's solid performance ended with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. These two Polar Bears were followed by senior co-captain T.J. McLeod '04, who had 14, and Yakavonis who had 12 points and nine boards.
Following this victory the men competed against their biggest rival to whom they lost their first pre-season game. They hosted the Bates Bobcats in front of an earsplitting crowd in Morrell Gymnasium.
The two teams traded baskets throughout most of the first half and kept the score close for the duration of the contest. McLeod connected on a trifecta that gave Bowdoin a three-point edge halfway through the first period making the score 19-16. Bates responded with a long bomb of its own and proceeded to take a two-point lead into the break.
Bowdoin began the second half with a jumper by Petrie that tied the game at 31 apiece, but Bates would take a five-point lead once again with 15 minutes remaining. A basket by McLeod closed the gap to three points with less than eight minutes of play left, but the game just seemed to be slowly slipping away for the Polar Bears as the Bobcats took an eight-point lead moments later.
This devastation called for yet another key performance from Polar Bear Nation who provided endless chants. Down the stretch, the voice of The Nation would prove pivotal for the Polar Bears who went on a run, which held the Bobcats scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Bowdoin capitalized on a pair of Bates turnovers and tied the game after a baseline-to-baseline lay-up from Bradley. He was fouled on the hoop and connected on the extra shot to grasp a one-point lead for Bowdoin with exactly two minutes remaining on the clock. Another three-pointer from McLeod and three of four Bowdoin free-throws would seal the victory.
McLeod led all scorers with 23 points and was followed by Bradley's 17. "There is no better feeling than beating your NESCAC rival, especially when that team is Bates," said McLeod. "They are a great team, but we proved on Saturday that we are a better team."
Bradley also commented on his performance shortly after the game, saying, "There was no set time in the game when I decided to step up offensively; I was just fortunate enough to knock down some shots and it gave me the confidence to keep shooting." Bradley, a.k.a. "Spydie," said that he dedicated the game to his top boy "Spyda."
The team bounced off of these two big wins and brought the heat to Castine, Maine, where it took on the Mariners of Maine-Maritime last Monday. The pace of this game was slow, and as described by Antwan Phillips '06, "The game was weak, their gym was weak, and their fans were weak."
Needless to say, Bowdoin won the game. Petrie had a high of 17 to go with nine boards and Jac Arbour '07 had 13 points in just 14 minutes of play. "I came into the game with intentions of working as hard as I could, sprinting the floor on every possession, and doing a better job of crashing the offensive boards," said Arbour. Arbour said that he also concentrated on his foul shots, an aspect of his game that has been a nightmare throughout the season.
With a win tomorrow, Bowdoin will clinch the fourth seed in the conference tournament and a first-round home game. "As a team, tomorrow's game is important not just because it's against Colby, but because it will determine whether or not we have home-court advantage in the first round of the tournament," said senior co-captain Jon Farmer '03.
"In my last regular season basketball game at Bowdoin, I would like to torment Colby College and set a Bowdoin record for the most three-pointers attempted in a game," said McLeod.
"We are playing very well right now as a team and with support from The Nation, a victory on Saturday is anticipated," added Farmer.
Don't miss the men's season finale tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in Morrell Gymnasium.
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