Box Score Williamstown, MA- The 19th ranked Bowdoin College Polar Bears (12-2, 2-1 NESCAC) emerged victorious over the Williams College Ephs (11-5, 1-3 NESCAC) in the waning minutes of today's game in Chandler Gymnasium. The game was tied at 46 with 1:12 remaining in the fourth quarter before Bowdoin came up with a couple big plays when they needed it most to win 54-47. Senior captain Marle Curle led the Polar Bears with 11 points, aided by 10 points from Abigail Kelly off the bench, whose go ahead jumper was the deciding basket in the game. Williams received a huge performance off the bench from Lydia Zaleski, who scored 15 points and added 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocks to her stat line.
After a tough loss against the Colby College Mules on Friday night, Williams head coach Pat Manning emphasized defense as a key area that would need improvement heading into today's matchup with the nationally ranked Polar Bears. Her team responded in the first 20 minutes with perhaps the most intense defensive performance of any half so far this season. The Ephs forced Bowdoin into 14 turnovers in the first half. Some were unforced errors by the Polar Bears, but the improved defense showed in the 6 steals and 4 blocks recorded by the Ephs. The Ephs also showed improved precision from three point range, sinking two of their first four attempts after going only 1-19 against Colby. Despite the Ephs' best efforts, Bowdoin held a 15-13 advantage to start the second quarter thanks to hard work in the paint that led to a 22-14 edge in rebounds (8-3 offensive) in the first half.
Williams went cold in the second quarter, scoring only 8 points and leaving the door open for Bowdoin to extend their lead. Bowdoin looked to work the ball to their senior forward Emily Campbell, who scored four points in the frame. A three from Kelly gave Bowdoin a double-digit lead at 28-18 before Williams junior Kristin Fechtelkotter made a lay-up to send her team into the half down 28-20.
Fechtelkotter scored the first four points of the third quarter for her team before Kelly and Curle both knocked down threes for Bowdoin that gave their team an 11 point lead at 35-24. Bowdoin head coach Adrienne Shibles then attempted to use her team's depth to wear down Williams on both ends of the floor, continually making substitutions that allowed her team to sustain their level of intensity. The junior duo of Fechtelkotter and Zaleski refused to back down for Williams, combining for 10 of 13 Eph points in the third, the last three provided by first year Emily Chang when she knocked down a huge three pointer at the end of the quarter that kept Williams within striking distance at 39-33.
Zaleski scored the first basket of the final quarter to bring her team within four of the Bowdoin lead before Brunswick native Lydia Caputi knocked down a three for the Polar Bears to stretch the lead to 7. Williams senior captain Devon Caveney responded with a three of her own and Zaleski brought the score to 42-40 with another basket. The teams traded 4-0 runs before Fernandez snuck through the Bowdoin defense, tying the game at 46 with 1:12 to play. Kelly came up with a huge fall-away jump shot for the Bears, and her teammate Kate Kerrigan picked off a Fernandez pass on the other end forcing Williams to foul. Foul shots insured a Bowdoin victory by a final score of 54-47.
Even though her team lost in the end, Manning saw the game as a step in the right direction as the Ephs head into their last six conference games, all of which will be crucial as they stand at just 1-3 currently. Manning said, "I think that's some of the best defense we've played all year. We forced turnovers, we made them take tough shots, we played as a team, and that's now the standard that we should shoot for every game. We have to be hungry and want that every time."
Manning praised Zaleski for her work on both ends of the floor, and getting Zaleski more involved may be key for the Ephs going forward. Manning said before today their game against Wisconsin Stevens Point on December 29 had been the standard for intensity and level of play that she wants to see from her team. In that game, Zaleski had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks, her best game of the year in terms of point total.
Manning also said she was happy with her team's response after the tough loss to Colby on Friday, saying, "I was anxious to see how we were going to respond, and I think our five upperclassmen did a great job leading the way, bringing the intensity that we needed. We're going to take each game one at a time from here on out, but if we play the way we did today we can challenge anybody in the conference."
The tough conference stretch for the Polar Bears will continue on Friday when #2 ranked Amherst College comes to Brunswick. Williams will also play on Friday at home against the Hamilton College Continentals in a matchup that will feature two teams fighting for the 8th spot in the NESCAC standings.
