The Week That Was in Bates Sports


February 7-February 13, 1996

Contents


Women's Basketball

Women Take To Bowdoin to Double Overtime, Split in Vermont

The women's basketball team could easily have gone 3-0 this week, but fell in a pair of close games to top ranked teams. Bates and Bowdoin needed two extra sessions, in Brunswick, but the Polar Bears, ranked fourth in Maine, just ahead of the Bobcats, defended their home court, 86- 80. Then on a long trip to Vermont, Bates thrashed Norwich, 78-52, and extended MIddlebury, the No. 2 team in New England, to the limit, but ultimately fell, 54-51. The Bobcats' record is now 13-7, the third highest win total in Bobcats' women's hoops history.

The Bowdoin game started on a strange note, as the start of the game was delayed about ten minutes due to a fire alarm. The alarm would go off two more times during the game, delaing it another five minutes. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to establish more than a four point lead. The Bobcats went into the break with a 30-29 lead, despite shooting just 33 percent from the floor. In the second half, Bates was able to grab a five-point lead with ten minutes remaining. They were able to maintain that lead for the next eight minutes when Bowdoin started a rally, to cut the lead to 65-62 with about a minute to go. Over the last minute of regulation, the Bobcats uncharacteristically missed three consecutive front ends of one-and-one foul shots, one of which was the only miss of the night by junior center Sarah Bonkovsky. While Bowdoin missed their shots the first two times, they were able to drain a 3-pointer from 30 feet away with eight seconds left to send the game into the first overtime. The Polar Bears scored six of the first eight points of the first extra session on a pair of 3-pointers, but the Bobcats did not go away, hitting their free throws to stay close and then getting a heart- stopper of their own with five seconds left, as first-year forward A.T. Taylor canned a trifecta of her own to tie the game at 75-75 and send it in into another overtime. It was there that Bowdoin's depth prevailed, as Bonkovsky and first-year guard Colleen McCrave both fouled out, while Bowdoin scored the first six points of the extra frame to make the final 86-80. Bonkovsky finished with 32 points and 16 rebounds, while Taylor finished with 25 points and 12 boards. McCrave added 13 points, 10 rebounds seven assists and four steals.

On Feb. 9 Bates journeyed to Northfield, Vt. to take on the Cadets of Norwich University, and bounced back with ease from the previous game's tough outcome and a long bus trip to gain the easy 78-52 win. After falling behind 12-5 in the first 4:50, coach Jim Murphy called time-out to regroup. The Bobcats responded, outscoring Norwich 16-2 over the next five minues to turn the 12-5 deficit into a 21-14 lead. in fact, after the timeout, Bates outscore Norwich 35-10 for the rest of the half. They cruised in the second half, taking the game 78-52. Taylor led all scoreers with 24 points and also grabbed 11 boards, while Bonkovsky had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Senior captain Dianna Devlin had 13 points and handed out 9 assists.

The big win at Norwich set the Bobcats up to try to stop Middlebury's 19- game home court winning streak. The Panthers jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, but the Bobcats did not go away, scoring 10 of the next 12 points to go up 12-9 at the midway point of the first half. Middlebury, one of the top long distance teams in New England, then went on an 11-4 run, capped by a pair of 3-pointers to take a 20-16 lead with three minutes left. Bates defense turned it up a bit, scoring the last six points of the first half to take a 22-20 lead into the locker room. McCrave then scored the first five points of the second half on a three-pointer and a steal and lay-up to give the Bobcats their biggest lead of the game at 27-20. The Panthers called time-out and immediately composed themselves and scored the next seven points to tie the game. The teams traded baskets, but with the game tied at 31, Middlebury hit a 3-pointer that started a 17-6 spurt over the next seven minutes to put the Panthers seemingly in control, 48-37. The Bobcats did not roll over, however, scoring 11 of the next 13 points, including a pair of steals and lay-ups by McCrave and a 3-pointer by Devlin to slice the deficit to just 50-48 with 25 seconds remaining. Bates had managed to stay out of foul trouble for much of the half, and it may have cost them, as Middlebury was able to run 13 seconds off the clock before the Bobcats were able to put them on the line. Middlebury hit their free- throws with 12 seconds left to go up 52-48 before Devlin ran down the court and stroked her second trifecta of the half to cut the lead to 52-51. The Bobcats were then hurt by the fact that they did not have any time-outs remaining to set their defense, as Middlebury was able to throw a pass the length of the court and lay it before Bates could foul, producing the final 54-51 margin. McCrave led the way in this game, scoring 15 points and making six steals, while Bonkovsky added another double-double, with 12 points and 11 boards. Taylor added a dozen points of her own.

For her performances against Bowdoin, Norwich and Middlebury, Taylor was named NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time this season, and NEWBA Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive week and fourth time overall.

Up Next:
2/13 at New England College
2/14 at Tufts
2/17 vs. Connecticut College
2/19 at Colby


Men's Basketball

Men Extend No. 4 Bowdoin to OT, Snap Skid at Norwich, Crumble at Middlebury

The men's hoops team nearly knocked off Bowdoin for the second time this season, before succumbing in overtime, 82-75. They then ended streak of losing four in a row and seven of eight at Norwich, winning 86-80, before getting blown out at Middlebury, 85-62. Their record now stands at 9-12.

On Feb. 6, Bowdoin, enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory and ranked fourth in New England, was out for revenge for one of its four losses on the season, an 86-66 thrashing at Alumni Gym back in November. Bates gave them all they could handle. Despite falling behind 13-5 early, the Bobcats were able to put on a run after their first time-out that saw them climb back and take a 20-17 lead about midway though the first half. They were able to maintain that lead until just under a minute left in the opening session, when Bowdoin scored the final five points, inculding a shot at the buzzer to turn a 29-28 Bates lead into a 33-29 Bowdoin halftime advantage. The Bobcats came out smoking though, scoring fourteen of the first sixteen points in the second half to go up 43-37. They were able to maintain that lead for much of the second half, leading 64-57 with three minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Bates picked a bad time to go cold, as Bowdoin was able to rally back over the final three minutes on the strength of two 3-pointers and free throws, tying the game, 69-69. The Polar Bears also had the last possesion, but a game-winning 16-footer went in, but a split second too late, as the two schools went into the third overtime period of the night. As in the women's game, Bowdoin was too strong down the stretch, scoring the first eight points of overtime and taking the 82-75 win. Leaders for the Bobcats were junior guard Matt Garvey, who had 21 points and senior guard Adam Piandes added 15 points and 6 assists.

The men were involved in another back and forth game Feb. 9 at Norwich. The game was clash of 3-point shooters, which boiled down to the Bobcats' having the better inside game to complement Garvey's deep threat. Neither team was able to take control in the first half. The biggest lead was 21-15, Bates, and that was quickly erased as Norwich went on a 10-1 run to take a 25-22 advantage.The two teams traded three point leads, but went to halftime knotted at 46-46. The first ten minutes of the second half were much of the same, as neither team could establish a dominant lead. The Cadets led for the last time at 62-61 with 11:03 remaining, when the Bobcats went on an 8-2 run over the next three m inutes to take a 69-64 lead. Norwich was able to stay close thanks to 3- point shooting, but the Bobcats were able to hold them off and take the 86-80 win. Garvey led the way with 26 points, but the difference came down to the frontcourt, where the Bobcats outscored Norwich, 47-20. Junior center Jesse Strandberg had 18 points and nine rebounds, while junior forward Mike Marsh had 16 points and nine boards.

The Bobcats may have been up for a little while after snapping the losing streak, but Middlebury brought them back to earth quickly, scoring the first eight points of the game. Bates was able to score just five points in the first five minutes. They were able to make a brief 9-0 run to cut the Panthers' lead from 14 to five with 6:02 left in the first half, but that was as close as they would get, trailing 44-30 at the break. In the first half they were outshot floor, 40.5 percent to 29.2 percent. The second half was not much better. Bates was able to get the lead to single digits twice early on, but Middlebury never really looked back and cruised to the 85-62 win. Piandes led all scorers with 22 points, but was held to just three assists, while Garvey only managed seven shots on his way to 11 points, one of his lowest outputs of the season.

Up Next:
2/14 at Tufts
2/17 vs. Connecticut College
2/10 at Colby


Skiing

Skiing Finishes Sixth at Dartmouth

A warm weekend was in place and Bates attempted to heat it up more at the Dartmouth Carnival this weekend. The Bobcats stayed warm with a sixth place finish out of 14 teams. Bates finished in the top ten in one of the six events. The 4x5 km mixed freestyle relay team placed tenth in the contest with a 1:07:05.9 time, placing the Bobcats in a fifth place team finish. The relay team included senior Katie Gould (18:57.4), sophomore Justin Freeman (14:57.4), senior Molly Walsh (19:13.3) and sophomore David Chamberlain (14:12.3). Junior Sean Clark managed an 11th place finish in the men's giant slalom, the highest individual placing for Bates for the carnival and helping them to a fifth place standing. Bates consistently finished in the sixth spot, moving down only once to a 10th place finish in the men's slalom. Other top 20 finishers for the weekend were Chamberlain in the men's 15 km classic (twelfth, 1:50:15.8) and junior Kina Pickett in the men's giant slalom (17th, 1:56.87). Bates consistently finished in the sixth spot, doing so in the women's 10 km classic, women's giant slalom, and men's 15 km classic, and relapsing only once to a 10th place finish in the men's slalom. In the end, the Bobcats scored 602.6 points, 97.4 behind fifth place Williams and 17 points ahead of St. Lawrence.
Up Next:
2/16-17 Williams Carnival


Swimming

Swimming Splits With Colby; Men's Comeback Falls Just Short

The swimming and diving teams had their last regular season meets of the year Feb. 10 at home against Colby. The women came away with a 198-101 win, while the men climbed back to within five points of Colby, but just quite didn't have enough, falling 152-147.

The women had their way with Colby,winning every event but one. Seniors Melissa Saander and Beth Sawyer and sophomore Denby Johnson were all outstanding, winning three races each. Sander took the 1000 freestyle (11:19.82), the 100 and 200 butterfly (1:03.38 and 2:21.00). Sawyer had top honors in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle (26.46, 57.83, and 2:07.34). Johnson won the 100 and 200 backstroke (1:03.65 and 2:17.36) and the 200 individual medley (2:20.76).

The men, though they stayed close to Colby all day were never quite able to overtake the Mules, and fell five points short in the end. First-year swimmer Chris Orpill a had a fine day, winning the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke (1:05.38 and 2:21.84) while first-year diver David Burke once again dominated the diving competition, winning the 1-meter event with a score of 241. 40 and the 3-meters with a score of 231.90. Both scores were nearly seventy points better that the second place competitor. Other winners for the Bobcats were senior Chris Eastman in the 100 freestyle (50.37) and and first-year swimmer Damon Bowe in the 200-yard individual medley (2:05.68). The Bobcats also took the 200 medley relay (1:45.50) and freestyle relay (1:35.01). Unfortunately, because they were unable to field a second team in the freestyle, the Bobcats were unable to complete their comeback, as a second place finish in addition to a first place in that race would have caused an eight-point swing.

The women finish the regular season at 8-2, while the men end up 4-6.

Up Next:
2/10 vs. Colby


Women's Track

Women's Track Finishes Third at Maine State Meet; Myrick Qualifies for Nationals

The women's indoor track team came in third amongst a highly competitive field at Bowdoin on Saturday. With a score of 133, they finished behind Bowdoin (200), Colby (174)and ahead of University of Southern Maine (12). Bates finished up the day boasting three first-place finishes. First-year runner Meaghan Lockwood ran the 55 meter dash in 7.73 for a first place finish and sophomore Lindsay Anderson topped the 400 meter with time of 1:02.79. The 4x800 relay team placed first over Bowdoin and Colby with 10:13.85 run. Other top-three finishes came from senior Megan Lane in the 5000 meters (second, 19:19.8), senior Heather Bumps in the weight throw (second, 11.91), first-year Adelia Myrick in the 1500 meter (second, 4:47.26) and 800 meters (third, 2:24.9), sophomore Lindsay Hescock in the high jump (second, 4'10") and long jump (third, 4.53), sophomore Nicole Abdula in the 55 meter dash (third, 7.88), and senior Kirstin Achenbach in the 1000 meters (second, 3:10.91). Also in the top three were Bates' 4x400 relay team (third, 4:32.49) and 4x200 relay team (third, 2:04.10). In addition to her second place finish in the 1500 meters, Myrick became the first Bates runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships held March 8-9 at Smith College.
Up Next:
2/17 NCAA New England Championships at Smith


Men's Track

Men Finish Third at MIT

The Bobcats men's track and field team finished in the middle of the pack in a strong field at MIT this weekend. Williams won the meet with a score of 260, MIT was second with 207, Bates was next at 100, followed by Norwich (22) and Worcester State (1). Senior Darren Edler was the Bobcats top performer with wins in the high jump and the hurdles, with a personal best time of 8.15 seconds. The weight throwers finished in the second through fourth as well as sixth place, led by junior Jon Eden's 50' 3/4" performance, giving the Bobcats three throwers with throws over fifty feet. The Bobcats finish the Quad Cup season at 10-5, ranked 5th in new England.
Up Next:
2/17 New England Div. III Championships at Brandeis


Squash

Squash Falls To Bowdoin in Home Finale

Both squash teams fell to Bowdoin Feb. 7. The women lost 9-0, the men were downed 7-2. The Bobcats' two wins came from Case Newberry at number four and Eric Sander at number nine. Sanders has compiled a magnificent 10-1 record in scoring matches this season. The men end the regular season at 11-9, the women at 9-12.
Up Next:
2/16-18 Howe Cup at Yale (W)




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