Brunswick, ME – The #8 Williams College Ephs (14-10) traveled to Maine to take on the undefeated #1 Bowdoin College Polar Bears (24-0) in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. Facing the reigning NESCAC champions, the Ephs had a tough challenge ahead. They played with effort throughout, but Bowdoin's shot-making ability and relentless defense were too much to handle. The Polar Bears built an early lead and held strong to secure a 71-46 victory and advance to the semifinals.
Williams struck first with a jumper from
Tatum Leuenberger, but Bowdoin quickly answered with a barrage of offense, taking advantage of small gaps in the Ephs' defense.
Mairi Smith and
Arianna Gerig, in what could be her final NESCAC game, used their size against Bowdoin's smaller lineup to generate some scoring. However, Bowdoin started hot from deep, knocking down three early three-pointers to take a 15-6 lead midway through the first. quarter. Both teams traded baskets to close the quarter, with first-years
Micah Walton and
Skylar Chui getting on the board, but 2024 NESCAC Player of the Year Sydney Jones made her presence felt. She finished the first quarter with 11 points and three steals, helping Bowdoin take a 24-12 lead.
Williams came out strong to start the second with Gerig blocking Jones and turning it into a fast break, setting up senior
Ellie Tounkara for a three-pointer. But turnovers became an issue for the Ephs as Bowdoin's defense forced multiple steals off slow or sloppy perimeter passes. The Polar Bears outside shooting cooled, but they adjusted by attacking the paint with post moves, showcasing the versatility that has kept them unbeaten. Walton added four more points, and Smith hit a corner jumper at the buzzer, but Williams trailed 39-24 at halftime.
Bowdoin took full control in the third quarter, shutting down the Williams offense, which managed only six points. The Polar Bears' quick defense collapsed on Eph drives while still getting out in transition for easy baskets. The turnover battle continued to favor Bowdoin, leading to a significant points-off-turnovers advantage. Even when Williams played strong defense, Bowdoin found ways to create and convert difficult shots. By the end of the third quarter, the game was all but decided with the Polar Bears leading 56-30.
In the fourth quarter, Eph head coach Pat Manning put the five seniors on the floor to close out the Ephs' season. Captains
Arianna Gerig and
Ellie Tounkara, along with
Cortland McBarron,
Izzy Sullivan, and
Kate Keenan, played the final minutes together. Gerig put the finishing touches on her career with a team-high 15 points. Tounkara added a jumper, and McBarron sank two free throws, but Bowdoin remained in control until the final buzzer, taking the 71-46 win and moving one step closer to another NESCAC championship.
On the defeat and the season as a whole, coach Manning said, "They are a good team and they play at such a high level. They don't make a lot of mistakes. We turned the ball over 21 times and that really hurt us as they capitalized on all of our turnovers. We had a really tough third quarter and it was hard to come back from… Today is about celebrating our 5 seniors. Arianna finishes as the second all-time leading scorer in our program's history. We wish all of our seniors the best… We are excited about our future. We've got some really good young talent that will develop but I'm really grateful for the contributions of our 5 seniors over these four years."
