Rookie guard Shannon Finucane put the loss in perspective. “I don’t think a loss is ever a positive thing. However, as a team, we now know what it feels like to lose and it’s not a good feeling, especially the way we lost. It is just motivation to be prepared and do all that we can to prevent it from happening again.”
The Polar Bears controlled the game from the tip-off, quickly running up a 14-6 lead with just over six minutes gone in the first half. Amherst responded, tying the game at 19, but Bowdoin’s stellar shooting in the first half gave them a four-point advantage going into the break. The Polar Bears shot 48 percent from the field in the first frame and made 10 out of 11 foul shots.
Bowdoin didn’t let up in the second half, gaining its largest lead of the evening when a lay-up gave the Bears a 45-34 advantage with 13:34 left in the game.
But the Jeffs wouldn’t give up just yet. Helped by some tenacious defense from first-year guard Kim Fiorentino and an offensive spurt from classmate Lem Atanga-McCormick, the Jeffs finally tied up the game again with just under three minutes left.
The last few minutes of the game featured several lead changes, and the contest seemed to be headed into overtime. The teams were locked at 61-61 when Bowdoin managed a buzzer-beating lay-up to win the game.
“Bowdoin played with a level of intensity that we weren’t able to match until the end of the game,” said tri-captain forward Yasmine Harik ’09. “At that point, however, it seemed that whatever we did to climb back into the game, they were able to counter it with an easy basket. Overall though, their shots were falling and ours weren’t. It seemed like they were getting to loose balls before us. They basically gave us their best game and we didn’t do the same.”
The Jeffs had little time to dwell on their loss, as they were slated to play Colby the following afternoon. Determined to redeem itself, the team wasted no time in taking an 11-2 lead to start out the game.
Though the Mules managed to shrink the gap partway through the period, the Jeffs lead by 10 at halftime. Amherst maintained control of the game for the first part of the second half, but with just under 10 minutes to play in the game, the previous day’s match began to wear on the Jeffs, and they allowed Colby to climb back into the game.
With 13 seconds left, the Mules took a one-point lead but then fouled Finucane. She hit both foul shots, giving the Jeffs a one-point victory.
Harik said the Bowdoin game influenced the team’s performance against Colby. “I think the loss to Bowdoin may have been in the back of our minds during the Colby game because it happened less than 24 hours beforehand. However, we started the game much better against Colby because we didn’t want the result to be the same as Bowdoin. At the end, our focus at the free-throw line allowed us to pull out the victory. We withstood Colby’s runs, and we were convinced — even with eight seconds left down by one — that we were going to win that game.”
Though the loss affected Amherst’s standing in the NESCAC, there are many more games ahead. A talented lineup will help contribute to the Jeffs’ continuing success. Leyman most recently earned Co-Player of the Week honors — the first in her collegiate career — for her performance this past weekend against Colby and Bowdoin.
The women’s basketball team returns to action this weekend in hopes of maximizing their team’s full potential, with a Friday night game against NESCAC rival Bates College and a Saturday matchup against Tufts University.