Bowdoin’s Sela Kay and Tufts’ Molly Ryan fight for control of the ball. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
LEWISTON — David Reynolds poured in a game-high 29 points as the Bowdoin College men’s basketball team earned an important 78-73 NESCAC win over Bates on Saturday.
The Polar Bears moved to 7-12 (2-5 NESCAC), while the Bobcats dropped to 10-9 (2-4 NESCAC).
After the Bobcats took a 9-7 lead with 16:19 left in the first half, Reynolds answered with a layup of his own and Bates never led again. A Stephen Ferraro three-point play with 14:23 on the clock put Bowdoin ahead for good at 12-9.
The Bobcats stayed within shouting distance until the final five minutes in the first when Bowdoin went on a 10-0 run, opening up a 13-point lead on a Reynolds jumper with 2:42 remaining in the opening half. The Polar Bears shot 60% from the floor in the first half and led 49-36 at halftime.
Reynolds hit a three with 15:29 remaining in regulation, putting the Polar Bears up 17. The Bobcats began to chip away, getting to within nine points at 61-52 on a layup from first-year Stephon Baxter (with 10:21 on the clock.
Bowdoin still led by 10 with 7:26 left before Omar Sarr made a layup, Bowdoin’s Drew Gagnon made a free throw, and Sarr scored four unanswered points, including an emphatic dunk, making the score 69-64 Bowdoin with 4:49 to go. Bates continued to edge closer, making it a two-point game on another Sarr bucket.
But Reynolds hit another 3-pointer and Bowdoin closed out the contest with four free throws from Morgan Edwards to seal the win.
Xander Werkman finished with a career-high 19 for the Polar Bears. Sam Grad added six points with eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
Tom Coyne and Sarr had 14 points apiece to lead Bates.
Bowdoin dropped an 85-73 NESCAC decision at Tufts on Friday.
The Jumbos held a slim 37-36 lead at the half, and Bowdoin came out quickly in the second, extending out to a five-point on a 3-pointer by Manav Randhawa.
Tufts responded with a 13-0 run.
Grad had 15 points and Reynolds chipped in a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.,
Eric Savage paced Tufts with 35 points.
The Polar Bears will return to action on Tuesday evening when they play at Husson at 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball
Bowdoin bounced back from Friday’s loss to top-ranked Tufts with a dominating 80-59 victory over Bates on Senior Day.
The second-ranked Polar Bears are 20-1, 7-1 NESCAC, while the Bobcats fell to 9-10 (1-5 NESCAC).
The teams went back-and-forth in the opening quarter with Bates taking a late lead on a running lay-in by Arian Dalia, 13-12. Bowdoin answered with the final four points of the quarter on buckets from Annie Maher and Moira Train to take a 16-13 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
Bates stayed within striking distance in the second quarter despite Bowdoin pushing the lead to as many nine points in the period. The Bobcats came within six points on a Mia Roy jumper, 38-32, with under 30 seconds to play, but a basket by Maddie Hasson, a steal on the inbounds pass and another layup by the Bowdoin senior in the final 10 seconds gave the hosts a 10-point cushion, 42-32, at the break.
The Bobcats came within three points midway through the third quarter, closing to within 44-41 following a Meghan Graff 3-pointer.
Bowdoin took command from there, responding with an 15-2 run, sparked by a Sela Kay trey to take a 59-43 edge late in the stanza. The Polar Bears led by 16 at the end of the third and pushed the lead to as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter on their way to the win.
Samantha Roy posted a career-high 21 points with seven assists in the victory, while Hasson posted a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds. Kay scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half for Bowdoin. Ali Meade posted 10 points off the bench for the Polar Bears.
Bates was led by 21 points from Graff in the loss.
The Polar Bears will return to action on Friday as they head to Amherst for another top-10 battle at 7 p.m.
Men’s hockey
Colby silenced Bowdoin, 4-1, on Saturday evening inside Watson Arena.
The Polar Bears are 9-8-1 (5-6-1 NESCAC), while the Mules climbed to 7-9-2 (3-8-1 NESCAC).
The Mules scored the game’s first goal at 8:36 in the first. Spencer Hewson was behind the net with the puck and fed J.P. Schuhlen on the left post. Schuhlen slipped a pass right for Logan Clarke and a wrister top shelf.
Alex Zafonte prevented the Mules from going ahead 2-0 in the final 30 seconds of the period, sliding across the crease to deny a shot from Clarke off a two-on-one.
Colby poured in two more goals in the second period, coming in a two-minute span. Hewson cleared the puck out of the deep right corner to Mark Leprine in the slot, who carried the length of the ice. Leprine slipped the puck back for Clarke who put a shot between two defenders and in the net.
During 4-on-4 action, Michael Morrissey wristed a shot from the left circle to make it 3-0.
In the third, Morrissey added another for the Mules from the left post as Kienan Scott slipped a pass from the right side.
Thomas Dunleavy spoiled the shutout at the 12-minute mark to put Bowdoin on the board.
Zafonte made 25 saves. Andrew Tucci made 34 stops for Colby.
The Polar Bears play at Hamilton on Friday at 7 p.m.
Swimming
The Bowdoin men’s and women’s squads closed out the regular season with a dual meet at Colby on Saturday.
The women earned a 177.5-112.5 win over the Mules. The men fell, 195-93.
In the women’s meet, the tone was set early with the A and B relays taking first and second in the 200 medley relay. Marshall Lowery, Emilie Grand’Pierre, Mary Laurita and Amanda Banasiak won the race. Francesca Garces, Emily Jacobs, Cassandra Maroney and Kate Fosburgh were runners-up.
Bowdoin swept the podium spots in the 100 breaststroke (Grand’Pierre, Lowery and Audrey Aitelli) as well as the 500 free (Fosburgh, Erin Moody and Kate Moynihan).
Bowdoin also took the top spots in the 50 free, with Laurita, Banasiak and Fosburgh finishing one-two-three. Maroney earned top finishes in both the 200 free and 100 fly, closing out all of her races with strong 25-yard lengths to earn key points for Bowdoin. Laurita and Nadia Eguchi finished one-two in the 100 free, while Carly Dickson picked up a first-place finish in the 100 backstroke. Lowery turned in the top time for the 200 backstroke as did Jacobs in the breaststroke at the same distance.
Thea Kelsey won both diving events and secured results that qualify her for the 1- and 3-meter NCAA Regionals.
Bowdoin’s top relays finished first and second in the 400 free relay to close out the meet. Lowery, Maroney, Banasiak and Fosburgh took the win. Cecilia de Havenon, Moody, Eguchi and Jess Gearan were runners-up.
On the men’s side for Bowdoin, Justin Yang was the only men’s swimmer to earn a first-place finish, topping the competition in the 200 IM.
Yang also took second in the 200 backstroke.
Henry Isaacson won for the men on the boards, sweeping both diving events. Isaacson qualified for NCAA Regionals in both events.
The teams are off until the NESCAC Championship. The women compete Feb. 13-16. The men compete Feb. 20-23. Middlebury is hosting the women’s events and Williams will host the men.
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