BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin College Polar Bears needed a win Saturday to keep their New England Small College Athletic Conference playoff hopes alive.
Standing in Bowdoin’s way was the top team in the conference, the Williams College Ephs. The resilient Polar Bears needed overtime, and used nearly every second of the extra frame to upset Williams, with Sam Grad knocking down a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left on the clock to give Bowdoin a 78-77 win at Morrell Gymnasium.
“It was a good back-and-forth game. They’re a good team, they have really good size,” said Bowdoin coach Tim Gilbride. “We needed everybody rising to the challenge on every play and I thought we did.”
Senior Jack Bors opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on a day when Bowdoin honored the class. Classmate Jack Simonds knocked down a trey, and added a jumper to push Bowdoin out to an early 8-4 lead.
The Ephs responded with a 9-2 run. Williams was paced by James Heskett, who knocked down back-to-back threes on the run that gave the Ephs a 13-10 lead six minutes into the game.
Bowdoin answered with a 7-0 run as Zavier Rucker and David Reynolds continued the Polar Bear attack from beyond the arc.
Heskett kept Williams within striking distance midway through the half. The Ephs guard had 14 points in the opening frame.
With the score 27-26, Bowdoin went on a 10-2 run. Simonds and Reynolds connected again from long-range, and the run forced a Williams timeout with 2:03 remaining.
The Polar Bears’ hot shooting gave them a 40-33 lead at halftime. Simonds led the way with 14 points and 2-for-4 long distance in the opening half. Bowdoin went 8-for-15 as a team from 3-point range.
We’ve had a rough stretch of getting down early,” said Simonds. “It was a big priority for us to have a good start tonight. It’s definitely a big step forward for us.”
Williams strikes back
Williams quickly erased the Bowdoin lead to start the second half. The Ephs went on a 7-0 run to even the game three minutes in. Matt Karpowicz sparked the run, taking the ball to the hoop for two and adding a free throw. Karpowicz had five quick points to start the half, but the run was halted when Simonds knocked down a trey.
The 7-0 run to start the half was the last long run for either team. The game featured 20 lead changes overall. Simonds hit another three with 2:43 remaining to give Bowdoin a 70-67 lead, but was answered at the other end by Bobby Casey to tie the game.
With Bowdoin trailing 72-70, Rucker knocked down a jumper with 32 seconds remaining in regulation. Williams was able to hold the ball for two last chances, but the Bowdoin defense forced Heskett into a difficult shot to send the game to overtime.
“It was just a great team effort all around,” said Gilbride. “We improved a lot as a defensive team as the years gone on.”
In overtime, a Heskett layup gave Williams a 77-75 lead with 37 seconds remaining. The Ephs forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, but Karpowicz missed his first free throw on a 1-and-1 to set up Grad’s heroics.
Simonds, who finished with a game-high 32 points, drew two defenders to him and skipped a pass to Grad in the corner. Grad rose up as two Ephs defenders started to close in and knocked down the trey to give Bowdoin the 78-77 win.
“I’m so happy for him,” said Simonds. “It’s just about trusting your teammates and Sam can make that shot all day.”
Bowdoin improved to 13-8 (3-5 NESCAC) with the win. The conference victory moved the Polar Bears into a tie with Colby for the final playoff spot with two NESCAC games remaining.
“It’s a huge win in terms of conference play,” said Simonds. “It definitely puts us in a nice position to hopefully make playoffs.”
Williams fell to 19-3 (6-2) with the loss. Heskett led the Ephs with 21 points.
After Simonds and his 32 points, Reynolds chipped in 16 for Bowdoin.
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