By Mark Simon
D3hoops.com
We wandered into one of Bowdoin’s postgame press conferences last weekend a little late and a little dazed from a busy day, so forgive us if we didn’t hear this right, but there’s a recollection of some of the players joking of having their nerves surgically removed.
The Polar Bears have gone through enough nerve-racking moments in the last six weeks of the season to last an entire basketball career. Here’s a brief list of what they’ve faced so far in trying to keep an unbeaten season and a national championship run alive:
* In a regular season game at Williams, the first for Bowdoin after being voted No. 1 in the nation, the Polar Bears trailed by 16 points at halftime, by eight with four minutes, and by two in the final seconds of both regulation and overtime.
Forward Justine Pouravelis tied the score on a baseline basket just before the regulation buzzer, setting the stage for an even more dramatic finish. As the seconds ticked down on the second overtime, Bowdoin ran the same play for Pouravelis, but this time, she got triple teamed and passed the ball outside to teammate Vanessa Russell. In one quick release, Russell let go a 25-footer that went through the net for the winning 3-point shot with 2.3 seconds remaining.
“People played confidently (even facing the deficit),” Russell said. “At no point did we think we were going to lose that game.”
* In the NESCAC title game, Bowdoin blew a 19-point halftime lead, then trailed upset-minded Bates for the first four minutes of overtime and faced a one-point deficit with two of its best post threats having fouled out. This time, the ball found itself in the hands of Pouravelis’s backup, sophomore Erika Nickerson, whose soft touch on a 12-footer from the right of the lane with 50 seconds remaining was good for the triumphant basket.
“I’ll always look at that (championship) banner with a cheshire-cat grin on my face,” head coach Stefanie Pemper said on D3hoops.com’s postgame coverage that day. “I don’t know how we won that game.”
* In the Sweet 16 against No. 2 Southern Maine, Bowdoin faced an 11-point deficit with nine minutes remaining. Senior backup Kristina Fugate hit back to back shots to fuel a comeback after which the game was tied at 45. The contest then turned into the equivalent of a heavyweight prizefight, with Southern Maine scoring, and Bowdoin countering with the matching points on each of the next three possessions, on two baskets by Pourvaelis and a tough runner in the lane by senior co-captain Lora Trenkle. After Southern Maine finally missed, Bowdoin grabbed the lead on two free throws by freshman Eileen Flaherty, scored a crucial basket on a three-quarter court pass from Pouravelis to Trenkle, and didn’t relinquish the lead until the final buzzer.
Media members always ask “What was going through your mind?” and that question came up in regards to the pressure-cooker atmosphere in the latter part of this contest. Trenkle’s answer said a lot about Bowdoin’s approach in just three words. “This is great.”
* Less than 24 hours later in the Elite 8, an emotionally drained Bowdoin trailed No. 3 Scranton, 9-0 two minutes into the game. Nickerson came into the contest and supplied instant offense. A little more than eight minutes later, Bowdoin claimed the lead and eventually pulled away for a 13-point win.
The Polar Bears do not freeze in fear of the big moment. Their instincts are a reflection of Pemper, who trusts her players to think things through. Every player knows that she has confidence in them in the most significant moments, such as playing for a national championship this weekend.
“Everyone has come up big,” Russell said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re so successful. People have the confidence to make big plays. No one is afraid to put themselves in a position to fail."