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Mar. 13—BRUNSWICK — Megan Phelps was feeling uneasy.
The Bowdoin College women's basketball team was coming off of a 28-3 season, one that resulted in a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III tournament. But three of the players most responsible for the team's tough defense — Megan Tan, Jess Giorgio and Jai Duval — had graduated. And Phelps, the Bowdoin coach, wasn't sure how the 2024-25 team would adjust.
"(They were) some of the best defensive players I've ever coached," she said. "That was something I was really worried about coming into the season."
Her team, however, was ready for the challenge. Bowdoin hasn't lost this season and takes a 29-0 record into the third round of the NCAA tournament and a rematch with Smith, the opponent that eliminated the Polar Bears a year ago.
Once again, it's been defense leading the way. This season, though, the defense has been even better.
"That's where we get a lot of our momentum. Getting tips on balls, getting steals, getting defensive stops," senior guard Sydney Jones said. "I didn't think we were going to be that defensive team at the beginning of the year, and we worked really hard to buy into it."
Bowdoin's offense averages 67.8 points per game, ranking just 106th in the country. But the Polar Bears give up 48.8 points per contest, 11th in the nation. It's an improvement on last year's 52.5 point-per-game average, which ranked 29th and got Bowdoin within two games of playing for a national championship.
"We talk a lot about defending as a five, as a unit on the court," Phelps said. "We do a nice job rotating and communicating. It's not always the right answer, but as long as they're communicating through it they can really get themselves out of a lot of tough situations."
A quick look at the stats doesn't reveal the key to that success. The Polar Bears don't block many shots (2.9 per game, 187th in D-III), don't get many steals (10.0, 107th) and don't force many turnovers (17.9, 147th).
"I think good defensive teams, hopefully, don't have (just) one thing (they do well)," Phelps said. "That means if you can stop that one thing, you're good. I like that we have a lot of different ways to go at people."
Jones put it succinctly.
"I think one of our biggest strengths," she said, "is that there's not one thing that's our biggest strength."
Senior forward Callie Godfrey said the Polar Bears' style doesn't always pay off in gaudy numbers.
"We have a lot of discipline," she said. "I think a lot of times when those stats are high, it's from cheating defense. I don't think we really do that. We do a good job, as a team, being in rotation and not being so focused on our own girl. That makes it so the looks that people sometimes get, our pressure, we're on (them) a lot. And people get frazzled."
Open shots against the Polar Bears are rare. They're holding teams to 34.2% shooting, 46th in the country, and their opponents' 3-point percentage of 22.6% ranks sixth in the nation. Bowdoin's first two tournament foes, Brooklyn College and SUNY Cortland, were held to 25.9% and 35.8% shooting from the field, more than seven points below their season averages.
"We do a lot of work on closeouts. I think closeouts are the cornerstone of any great defense," Phelps said. "We talk a lot about if there's an exceptional 3-point shooter on another team, we have to know where they are in transition."
That's where the versatility shows up. Led by Jones, Maria Belardi, Carly Davey and Grace Kinum, Bowdoin has the quickness to guard the perimeter and get out to anyone's shooters. Meanwhile, forwards Callie Godfrey, Abbie Quinn and Melissa Leone provide height and athleticism.
"We're really long, I think we have a lot of speed," Godfrey said. "We're also very fit. It's hard to play 30 seconds of perfect defense, that's tiring. And we have the fitness to be able to do that."
The Polar Bears also have made sure there aren't many follow-up chances for opponents. They've allowed the fifth-fewest rebounds per game in the nation and are 15th in rebound differential.
"It's one thing to be a pretty good defensive team," Phelps said. "But if you can't finish possessions and get boxouts and board, you're going to be playing a lot of defense."
It's also one thing to stress it all — boxing out, closeouts, hustle and effort. But the Polar Bears are wired to embrace it.
"We're just really relentless as a team," said Belardi, a junior guard. "In practice, we go at each other. There can be tension here and there in practice. ... We're a really competitive team, and we want to win. So we bring that to practice, and practice translates to games."
That approach may not fill up the stat sheet. But the players don't care.
"Offense sometimes can be really flashy, but that doesn't always drive us," Godfrey said. "When you get a really big stop, that can also fill your energy just as much as a big shot, and it also cuts into the other team's momentum in a different way. We take pride in that.
"A really flashy 3, at the end of the day, it's a 3. But if you can hold a team to nine points in a half, that's pretty baller, too."
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The Bowdoin College women's basketball team was coming off of a 28-3 season, one that resulted in a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III tournament. But three of the players most responsible for the team's tough defense — Megan Tan, Jess Giorgio and Jai Duval — had graduated. And Phelps, the Bowdoin coach, wasn't sure how the 2024-25 team would adjust.
"(They were) some of the best defensive players I've ever coached," she said. "That was something I was really worried about coming into the season."
Her team, however, was ready for the challenge. Bowdoin hasn't lost this season and takes a 29-0 record into the third round of the NCAA tournament and a rematch with Smith, the opponent that eliminated the Polar Bears a year ago.
Once again, it's been defense leading the way. This season, though, the defense has been even better.
"That's where we get a lot of our momentum. Getting tips on balls, getting steals, getting defensive stops," senior guard Sydney Jones said. "I didn't think we were going to be that defensive team at the beginning of the year, and we worked really hard to buy into it."
Bowdoin's offense averages 67.8 points per game, ranking just 106th in the country. But the Polar Bears give up 48.8 points per contest, 11th in the nation. It's an improvement on last year's 52.5 point-per-game average, which ranked 29th and got Bowdoin within two games of playing for a national championship.
"We talk a lot about defending as a five, as a unit on the court," Phelps said. "We do a nice job rotating and communicating. It's not always the right answer, but as long as they're communicating through it they can really get themselves out of a lot of tough situations."
A quick look at the stats doesn't reveal the key to that success. The Polar Bears don't block many shots (2.9 per game, 187th in D-III), don't get many steals (10.0, 107th) and don't force many turnovers (17.9, 147th).
"I think good defensive teams, hopefully, don't have (just) one thing (they do well)," Phelps said. "That means if you can stop that one thing, you're good. I like that we have a lot of different ways to go at people."
Jones put it succinctly.
"I think one of our biggest strengths," she said, "is that there's not one thing that's our biggest strength."
Senior forward Callie Godfrey said the Polar Bears' style doesn't always pay off in gaudy numbers.
"We have a lot of discipline," she said. "I think a lot of times when those stats are high, it's from cheating defense. I don't think we really do that. We do a good job, as a team, being in rotation and not being so focused on our own girl. That makes it so the looks that people sometimes get, our pressure, we're on (them) a lot. And people get frazzled."
Open shots against the Polar Bears are rare. They're holding teams to 34.2% shooting, 46th in the country, and their opponents' 3-point percentage of 22.6% ranks sixth in the nation. Bowdoin's first two tournament foes, Brooklyn College and SUNY Cortland, were held to 25.9% and 35.8% shooting from the field, more than seven points below their season averages.
"We do a lot of work on closeouts. I think closeouts are the cornerstone of any great defense," Phelps said. "We talk a lot about if there's an exceptional 3-point shooter on another team, we have to know where they are in transition."
That's where the versatility shows up. Led by Jones, Maria Belardi, Carly Davey and Grace Kinum, Bowdoin has the quickness to guard the perimeter and get out to anyone's shooters. Meanwhile, forwards Callie Godfrey, Abbie Quinn and Melissa Leone provide height and athleticism.
"We're really long, I think we have a lot of speed," Godfrey said. "We're also very fit. It's hard to play 30 seconds of perfect defense, that's tiring. And we have the fitness to be able to do that."
The Polar Bears also have made sure there aren't many follow-up chances for opponents. They've allowed the fifth-fewest rebounds per game in the nation and are 15th in rebound differential.
"It's one thing to be a pretty good defensive team," Phelps said. "But if you can't finish possessions and get boxouts and board, you're going to be playing a lot of defense."
It's also one thing to stress it all — boxing out, closeouts, hustle and effort. But the Polar Bears are wired to embrace it.
"We're just really relentless as a team," said Belardi, a junior guard. "In practice, we go at each other. There can be tension here and there in practice. ... We're a really competitive team, and we want to win. So we bring that to practice, and practice translates to games."
That approach may not fill up the stat sheet. But the players don't care.
"Offense sometimes can be really flashy, but that doesn't always drive us," Godfrey said. "When you get a really big stop, that can also fill your energy just as much as a big shot, and it also cuts into the other team's momentum in a different way. We take pride in that.
"A really flashy 3, at the end of the day, it's a 3. But if you can hold a team to nine points in a half, that's pretty baller, too."
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Continue reading...
