BRUNSWICK — Consistency has been a talking point for Bowdoin College’s men’s basketball coach Tim Gilbride this season.
With the calendar turning to 2020, the long-time coach watched his team struggle through a tough first half, rally in the second, before falling to Brandeis University, 65-62, on Thursday inside Morrell Gymnasium.
The loss drops the Polar Bears to 4-5 with a visit to rival Colby for a non-conference matchup set for Sunday (4 p.m.) next, while the Judges left Bowdoin with a 7-3 record after holding on for the victory.
David Reynolds, after scoring seven points in the first half, nearly rallied Bowdoin to the win, scoring 15 second-half points to finish with a game-high 22 points. Sam Grad also had a solid showing, picking up a double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds), with Zavier Rucker adding 10 points and two steals.
However, what Gilbride continues to search for are others on his team to provide key additional support.
“We need to find a little more continuity and identity, especially in the offensive end. We are relying on certain individuals. That is great when it is going well. But we need everyone contributing and have a role on what we are trying to do out there,” Gilbride said. “It has come down to someone maybe going into a tough situation for us, where another might have been better. They are not being selfish. They are just trying to help us win.”
Trailing 52-39 near the halfway point of the second half, Bowdoin began its run. Stephen Ferraro hit a 3-pointer to get the Polar Bears to within 10 points, and Rucker banked in a trey to make for a 52-45 game.
After a Brandeis timeout, Reynolds finished off a pass from Grad, then hit a 3-pointer from the corner to bring to the Polar Bears to 52-50 with 6:37 remaining.
The teams traded baskets until the Judges used a 5-0 spurt to up their advantage to 63-54 as the clock ticked under three minutes.
Bowdoin had one more push left, with Grad and Reynolds leading an 8-0 run. Grad’s lay-in made for a 63-62 contest with 31.7-seconds remaining.
Brandeis had the chance to extend its lead at the free-throw line, but missed both ends of a 1-and-1. However, Chandler Jones darted inside, grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds and keeping the possession in favor of the Judges.
“Those rebounds, we were able to make a play on the ball and I was able to do that,” said Jones, who led the Judges with 16 points. “The second half it was a change of pace. (Bowdoin) switched to a zone and that slowed us down.”
Jones and Lawrence Sabir each made 1-of-2 at the line, and Bowdoin’s long inbounds pass went out of the play to end the contest.
“Any time you get in a situation like that, sometimes it will go your way, other times it won’t. It is better to avoid actually getting to that spot,” said Gilbride.
Judges control
Bowdoin opened the game with a pair of Grad baskets for a 4-0 lead.
Brandeis coach Jean Bain called a timeout and the Judges responded, using a 15-0 run over the next six minutes in building a 15-4 lead.
“We had practiced hard for a week straight, so it was more of us coming out and picking it up,” Jones said.
“I don’t know why we get behind. We have to figure that out so maybe we are playing with the same energy and passion as we are late in the game trying to make a comeback,” said Gilbride.
The Brandeis lead grew to 16 points (26-10) with eight minutes left in the first half, with Collin Sawyer hitting three shots from beyond the arc. Yarmouth native Nolan Hagerty and Eric D’Aguanno picked up eight points apiece as the Judges carried a 42-29 lead to the break.
Grad stood out for Bowdoin in the first half, scoring 11 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
“This is two games in a row where Sam has played well, something I hope becomes a habit,” Gilbride said. “He is a key guy for us. He can do a lot of things for us — go to the basket, make a shot, get a rebound inside. That is what we need.”
Morgan Edwards came off the Bowdoin bench to score five first-half points, while Reynolds had eight rebounds and two steals. The Polar Bears shot 42.3% (22-of-52) from the field and 12-of-15 from the charity stripe.
Sawyer and D’Aguanno picked up 11 points apiece for the Judges, who made 24-of-56 (42.9%) from the floor and 10-of-17 from the charity stripe. Hagerty finished with a double-double (10 points, 10 boards).
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