Men's Basketball Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics

NESCAC First Round: No. 11 Bowdoin def. No. 6 Connecticut College, 56-53

BRUNSWICK, Maine – The No. 11 Bowdoin College men's basketball team won its first NESCAC Tournament game since 2015 in a 56-53 first round win at No. 6 Connecticut College.
 
The Polar Bears improve to 12-12 on the season and will play at No. 3 Middlebury on Sunday in the quarterfinals at 2:00 p.m. Connecticut College ends its year with a record of 10-11.
 
Game Highlights
  • In a tough defensive battle, the Polar Bears were able to hold a 26-22 edge at the break thanks to nine first-half points from Manav Randhawa and a stellar defensive effort that held the Camels to just 32 percent shooting and eight turnovers.
  • Things began opening up offensively for both squads in the second half, but Bowdoin was able to maintain a lead throughout.
  • A quick 5-0 surge on a three-pointer from Taiga Kagitomi and lay-in by Xander Werkman pushed Bowdoin's lead to 10 points, 38-28, with 14:54 to go.
  • The Polar Bears led by as many as 11 before the Camels began their late run.
  • A 3-pointer by the Camels cut Bowdoin's lead to 55-52 with 1:12 to play and then a Polar Bear shot clock violation gave the ball back to the Camels with 34 seconds to go.
  • An immediate turnover gave the Polar Bears a chance to seal it with 16 seconds left, but a miss on the front end of a 1-and-1 gave Connecticut College a final chance to tie.
  • Bowdoin fouled to avoid a game-tying 3-pointer and after a made free throw by Connecticut College, the Camels intentionally missed the second for an opportunity to grab an offensive board.
  • Werkman clung to the rebound and hit a single free throw to push the lead back to three points, 56-53, and a desperation Connecticut College 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer, giving Bowdoin the win.
By The Numbers
  • James McGowan had a game-high 17 points with six rebounds for the Polar Bears while Randhawa finished with 15 points, coming on five 3-pointers.
  • Xander Werkman also had ten points while Michael Simonds grabbed ten rebounds.
  • Bowdoin shot 40 percent for the game compared to 41 percent for the Camels, but hit nine 3-pointers compared to three for Connecticut College.
  • The victory was the first in the Polar Bears in the NESCAC Tournament since a quarterfinal win over Williams in the 2015 tourney.
Up Next
  • Bowdoin heads to Vermont for a Sunday clash with Middlebury in the NESCAC Quarterfinal Round at 2 p.m. The game will be carried live on the Northeast Sports Network.