WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Though the Williams Ephs (6-8, 1-2 NESCAC) put up their best defensive effort of the new year against the Bowdoin Polar Bears (12-3, 2-1 NESCAC) and maintained the lead for most of the first three quarters, Bowdoin's efficient three-point shooting and strong defense in the paint made the difference in a 63-51 defeat.
After allowing an average of 34.5 points in the first halves of their last two games, Williams held Bowdoin to just 18, forcing a whopping 14 turnovers and holding the Polar Bears to 7 for 30 (23.3%) shooting in the first half. But in the second half, Bowdoin came alive on offense, leveraging a 17-2 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters to turn a four-point deficit into an 11-point lead.
"I think we played a great first half, but we weren't smart with the ball on our offensive possessions," remarked Eph head coach
Pat Manning following the loss. "We just rushed too much on offense. If we had been a little more composed and taken our time, I think we could've taken a bigger lead at the half."
Guard Sela Kay (18p) and Annie Boasberg (16p, 10r) led the way for Bowdoin, scoring 34 of Bowdoin's 63 points and 14 of the 17 points on their game-changing run. Forwards Jess Giorgio (10r, 3b) and Callie Godfrey (6r, 4b) guarded the paint effectively all night, combining for seven of the Polar Bears' eight blocks.
For the Ephs, guard
Maggie Meehan '22 led the team in scoring with 15 points, while forwards
Maddy Mandyck '23 (13p, 12r) and
Arianna Gerig (13p, 10r) each recorded double-doubles.
Williams, however, shot just 18 for 66 (27.3%) for the game, despite securing 19 offensive rebounds, their most since a win over MCLA in their second game of the season. Bowdoin, on the other hand, shot a much improved 12 for 28 (42.9%) in the second half, including a red-hot 6 for 11 (54.5%) mark from beyond the arc.
"There's a lot to be happy about, especially the offensive boards, but we just didn't make good decisions on offense," said Manning. "We played into Bowdoin's hands because we rushed our possessions and gave them the ball right back."
The Ephs set the tone on defense early when forward
Mia Holtze '23 blocked a layup attempt by Bowdoin guard Megan Tan on the Polar Bears' first possession. Though Bowdoin grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the first quarter, they managed just seven points. They only trailed by one at the end of the quarter, however, as the Ephs' offense also struggled out of the gate.
The second quarter told a similar story to the first. The Ephs continued to play lockdown defense and force Bowdoin out of their rhythm, but they could not capitalize off the Polar Bears' turnovers on offense and only led by three at the half.
"That first half, from a defensive standpoint, was probably the best of our season," said Manning, who wished that the strong play on defense translated into more offensive success early on. "Then again, you're working so hard, getting those stops, but you're only up three."
Williams maintained a close lead for most of the third quarter, but Bowdoin took back the lead for good on back-to-back three-pointers by Boasberg and Kay, followed by a late foul by Eph guard
Ellie Tounkara '25 on Kay, who hit both free throws to give the Polar Bears a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Though Meehan hit a jumper to cut the Bowdoin lead to two, the Polar Bears immediately hit three-pointers – by Tan, Boasberg, and Kay in that order – on their next three possessions to take an 11-point lead, their largest of the game to that point. A three-point play by Mandyck with 5:49 to go narrowed the deficit to seven, the Ephs couldn't fight any closer as the Bowdoin offense stayed hot for the remainder of the game.
"We started the third quarter well, but when they hit some key threes, I don't think we reacted well," commented Manning. "The air went out of it a little bit, and we have to fight for 40 minutes."
Tomorrow at 3:00pm, the Ephs continue their weekend homestand against Colby (9-3, 1-2 NESCAC).
