MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The Bowdoin College women’s basketball team posted a stifling defensive effort to suffocate Wesleyan, 74-35, on Friday night at Silloway Gymnasium.
After both teams struggled in the early going, Bowdoin came alive and held Wesleyan scoreless over the final few minutes to take an 11-5 lead after one period.
The Cardinals refused to go away in the third period, closing the gap to eight points, 37-29, midway through the frame. But, Bowdoin held Wesleyan scoreless for the final 5:25 of the quarter and into the fourth period, rolling off 18 consecutive points to put the contest out of reach.
Shannon Brady led all players with 16 points while grabbing five rebounds for Bowdoin. Hannah Graham pitched in 11 points off the bench, while Ally Silfen and Abigail Kelly each added nine. Kate Kerrigan had seven points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in the victory.
Bowdoin earned the NESCAC’s No. 3 seed with a 73-61 win over Connecticut College on Saturday.
The Polar Bears concluded the regular season with a mark of 19-5 overall, 8-2 in the NESCAC. Bowdoin will host a quarterfinal this upcoming Saturday.
Brady had 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked four shots in the win, while Kerrigan chipped in 11 points and a career-high 15 boards and six assists.
Men’s basketball
Jack Simonds and Lucas Hausman combined for 52 points to lead the Polar Bears to an 80-71 win over Wesleyan on Friday evening at Morrell Gymnasium.
Wesleyan came out firing, forcing two early Bowdoin timeouts and holding a 24-13 lead midway through the frame following a BJ Davis 3-pointer. Bowdoin answered with a 14-0 run, sparked by 3- pointers from Tim Ahn, Blake Gordon, Lucas Hausman and Matt Palecki to take the lead.
Davis hit a running lay-up to tie the score at 33 before a late Gordon trey gave the hosts a 36-33 lead at the break.
The teams traded buckets to open the second half with Bowdoin holding a 46-40 lead four minutes into the period. Five straight points from Hausman sparked a 12-2 Polar Bear run that pushed the lead to 16 points, 58-42, with 11:21 to go. The Polar Bears pushed the lead to as many as 18 points and the Cardinals failed to get closer than the final nine-point margin at the buzzer over the remaining 10 minutes.
The Polar Bears made it 2- for-2 for the weekend on Saturday, rallying for a 78-71 victory over Connecticut College inside Morrell Gymnasium.
Bowdoin finished 12-10, 4-6 in the NESCAC, good for the No. 7 seed. The Polar Bears will take on No. 2 Amherst in the quarterfinals this upcoming Saturday.
Hausman led the way with 28 points for Bowdoin, with Matt Palecki pitching in a double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds).
Women’s hockey
Bowdoin fell to Connecticut College, 4-3, on Saturday at New London, Conn.
The Camels swept the two-game series to improve to 14- 7-1 overall, 8-5-1 in NESCAC play. Bowdoin fell to 8-11-2, 5- 8-1 in the conference.
CC led 4-1 through two periods, with Jordan Cross netting a pair of goals.
Bowdoin battled back in the third period, with Miranda Bell and Julie Dachille scored to get the Polar Bears within a goal.
Bowdoin held a 33-22 shot advantage, with goaltender Lan Crofton turning aside 18 shots.
On Friday, CC took the opener, 4-1. Julie Beattie scored just 11 seconds into the contest.
Bowdoin returns to action this upcoming Friday at home against Trinity at 7 p.m.
Men’s hockey
Bowdoin scored four first period goals en route to an 8- 2 win over visiting Wesleyan on Saturday night.
Seven different Polar Bears scored one goal each, with Matthew Lison adding a pair in the win.
Bowdoin goaltender Peter Cronin had 16 saves, and the Polar Bears went 2-for-5 on the power play.
The Polar Bears gave head coach Terry Meagher career win No. 541 in a 2-1 NESCAC win over Trinity on Sunday.
Bowdoin (12-7-3, 8-5-3 NESCAC) has won eight straight games. Trinity fell to 16-5-1 overall, 12-4 in the conference.
Chris Wallace set up teammate Matt Sullivan for the game’s first goal 6:24 into the game for a 1-0 Bowdoin lead. Wallace added a second assist with 1:15 left in the frame, feeding Mitch Barrington at the left point. Barrington’s shot was tipped in by Spencer Antunez.
Trinity pulled within a goal with 9:19 remaining in the third period, but Cronin made 35 saves for the win.
Bowdoin closes out its regular season on Friday at Tufts ( 7 p.m.).
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