BOWDOIN COLLEGE’S Mathew Lison makes a move during a men’s ice hockey game at Sidney J. Watson Arena on Saturday.
Jack Simonds poured in 32 points to lead the Bowdoin College men’s basketball team to victory in a back-and-forth 81-71 New England Small College Athletic Conference win against Williams on Saturday night.
The Polar Bears (9-6, 1-2 NESCAC) pulled away late in a contest that saw 13 lead changes. The Ephs (11-4, 1-3 NESCAC) controlled the opening half by shooting 44- percent from 3-point range.
The teams traded runs in the opening half, the last coming by the Ephs, who finished the period on a 7-0 run. Cole Teal nailed a trey before the break, Williams’ eighth of the half, to take a 38-35 lead at intermission.
Bowdoin replied with the first seven points of the second half, including five from Simonds, to take a 42-38 lead, only to see Williams answer with a 7-2 surge to regain the lead on a Michael Kempton lay-in.
The squads went back-and-forth for the next 10 minutes and found themselves tied at 64 apiece with 7:51 to go following a Simonds trifecta. Simonds gave Bowdoin the lead for good with a 3-pointer on Bowdoin’s next possession, sparking an 11-2 run that gave the hosts a 72-66 lead with under five minutes to play.
Williams closed to within three points with under three minutes to play, but Hugh O’Neil made a pair of big buckets down the stretch and Bowdoin hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Simonds scored 22 of his 32 points in a red-hot second half. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. O’Neil had 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Neil Fuller added 10 points.
Bowdoin will return to action Friday at Amherst, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
Men’s hockey
Bowdoin returned to the win column with a 5-1 NESCAC victory over visiting Trinity on Saturday night.
The Polar Bears 7-8 (4-6 NESCAC) were looking for their first win since returning to the ice in January. The Bantams dropped both games of their Maine road trip, falling to 8-5-1 (4-4 NESCAC).
Matthew Melanson gave Bowdoin a 1-0 lead just 2:35 into the game.
Cody Todesco pick pocketed a Trinity defender on the back boards and found Austin Ricci on the inside edge of the left circle. Ricci wristed the shot in for a 2-0 Polar Bears lead.
A misplay by a Trinity player just inside Bowdoin’s blue line opened up an opportunity for John- Alexander Kourkoulis. The senior skated down the center of the ice, cutting right as he approached net, and launched a shot past Trinity netminder Alex Morin for the three-goal lead.
Trinity came out strong in the second frame, earning several promising looks at net. Tyler Whitney intercepted a breakout pass in Bowdoin’s zone and turned back on Peter Cronin for a one-on-one. Cronin turned away the shot with a kick save, but the Bantams converted a minute later. Sean Orlando capitalized on a scrum in the crease to score his team’s only goal. The puck slid out of traffic towards Orlando on the left post, allowing the senior to quickly collect it and roof it high on the near side.
With 1:02 remaining in the second period, Todesco buried a rebound to push Bowdoin’s lead back to three, and Matthew Lisbon added an empty-net goal in the third period to complete the Bowdoin win.
Cronin had 37 saves for the win, while Morin stopped 27 shots.
On Friday, Bowdoin dropped a 5-3 decision to Wesleyan at Watson Arena.
The Polar Bears received two goals from Alexander Kourkoulis and one from Kendal Culbertson.
Bowdoin visits Williams this upcoming Friday and Middlebury on Saturday.
Women’s basketball
Bowdoin closed the game on an 8-1 run to defeat Williams, 54-47 in a NESCAC contest played on Sunday evening.
The 19th-ranked Polar Bears improved to 12-2 (2-1 NESCAC), while the Ephs fell to 11-5 (1-3 NESCAC).
Bowdoin carried a 15-12 lead into the second quarter thanks to five first-quarter points from Rachel Norton and extended their lead to 28-20 at halftime after holding the Ephs to just eight points in the second period.
The Polar Bears extended their lead to as many as 11 points in the third quarter before Williams mounted a rally. Williams’ Emily Chang hit a 3-pointer before the end of the period to trim the Bowdoin lead to 39-33.
The Ephs opened the fourth quarter on a 7-1 run and tied the game at 46 apiece with 1:21 to play on an Amanni Fernandez layup.
Bowdoin answered on its next possession, getting a go-ahead jumper from Abigail Kelly to take the lead for good. A steal by Kate Kerrigan led to two Marle Curle free throws with 23 seconds remaining and Bowdoin was able to put the game on ice with a pair of Kelly free throws with 11 ticks remaining.
Curle ended with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Kelly scored 10. Lydia Zaleski ended with a game-high 15 for Williams.
Bowdoin will return to action Friday at home against second-ranked Amherst at 7 p.m.
Women’s hockey
In the opener of the two-game set, Bowdoin fell to the Lord Jeffs, 4-2.
Maureen Greason gave the Polar Bears a 1-0 lead in the first period, but Amherst answered to tie the game on a shorthanded goal by Katelyn Pantera.
Bowdoin claimed a 2-1 edge when Katie Leininger cleaned up a rebound of a Maryanne Iodice shot at 3:15 of the middle frame.
But, Amherst scored three unanswered goals in the third period for the win.
Sophia Lattanzio had 30 stops in the loss, while Sabrina Dobbins turned aside 22 shots for the Lord Jeffs.
On Sunday, Alex Toupal scored a hat trick as Amherst rolled to a 4-0 win.
Bowdoin ended the weekend with a 8-4-2 mark overall, including 3-3-1 in NESCAC play. The Lord Jeffs improved to 7-4-2, 3-3-2 in the conference.
Polar Bear netminder Kerri St. Denis took the loss after making 37 saves. Bailey Plaman had 22 stops for the shutout.
The Polar Bears return to Watson Arena for a 7 p.m. game against Endicott on Tuesday.
Indoor track
The Polar Bears opened their season with a strong showings at a home invitational at Farley Field House on Saturday afternoon.
The Polar Bear women took first of seven teams by a half-point margin, while the men placed second in a seven-team field, nine points behind WPI.
For the Bowdoin women, Sara Ory placed first in the 400-meter dash (1:02.96), while Meghan Bellerose took first in the 1,000 (3:04.66). Demi Feder won the 3,000 (10:38.98) and Julia O’Rourke took first in the 5,000 (18:55.62).
Bowdoin’s 4×400 relay team of Eleanor Brakewood, Georgia Bolduc, Ory and Bellerose took first in 4:15.95.
In the field events, Morgen Gallagher won the long jump (16-11.25).
On the men’s side, Joseph Staudt set a Bowdoin record in the trials of the 60 hurdles (8.45) and then won the event with a time of 8.50 in the finals. Brian Greenberg claimed both the long jump (21-04.75) and triple jump (46- 04.75) events for the Polar Bears. Bowdoin went 1-2 in the weight throw with a pair of personal-bests from John Pietro (52-08) and Vincent LaRovere (50-00).
Calvin Park placed first in the 5,000 (15:41.03), while Bowdoin’s 4×400 relay team of Conor Donahue, Owen Tuck, Liam Nicoll and John Kenealy took first in 3:31.51.
Bowdoin hosts its second consecutive invitational this upcoming Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
Swimming and Diving
Bowdoin swimming and diving teams both suffered setbacks at Bates College in Lewiston in a Friday night dual meet.
The women were edged by the Bobcats in a 154-145 final, while the men fell, 163-125 to the hosts.
Karl Sarier turned in three individual first-place finishes against the Bobcats. The sophomore secured the top spot in the 100 freestyle (52.68), 200 free (1:42.90) and 200 IM (1:57.30). Sarier was joined by Will Hutchinson, Julian Abaldo and Andrew Macdonald to put together a first-place finish in the 400 relay to conclude the meet. The quartet finished in 3:09.82.
Abaldo earned an individual first-place finish in the 50 butterfly (24.12) followed closely by teammate Nathan Garner (24.28) to make it a Polar Bears one-two finish.
Mitchell Ryan secured big points for Bowdoin in both diving events behind 271.12 (1- meter) and 272.25 (3-meter) days.
Sterling Dixon finished first in three individual events to lead the Bowdoin women. The sophomore captured victories in the 100 (52.68) and 200 free (1:53.33). She also completed the 200 IM in 207.94, good for first place, a full four seconds ahead of the runner-up.
The women’s 200 medley relay, comprised of Marshall Lowery, Mariah Rawding, Ally Fromson-Ho and Amanda Banasiak, captured the top spot with a time of 1:49.63. Three members of the relay also turned in individual first-place finishes. Lowery earned a pair of victories in the 50 backstroke (27.63) and the 100 backstroke (58.96). The sprinting success continued with another win at the 50 free from Banasiak (24.70). Rawding secured a top finish at the same distance in the breaststroke (31.54).
And, Christine Andersen added to the team points with a first-place result in the 1- meter diving event (254.39).
Bowdoin swims at UMaine-Orono this upcoming Saturday at noon.
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