WATERVILLE, Maine - The Bowdoin College men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, dropping a 89-84 decision at Colby.

The Polar Bears, ranked 22nd in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, fall to 6-1 while the Mules improve to 6-1. The squads will meet again on January 20 for the NESCAC conference game in Brunswick.

Game Highlights

• Colby jumped to an early lead out of the gate, 12-2, thanks to ten early points from Ethan Schlager.
• The Polar Bears chipped away at the deficit and were able to cut the Colby lead to 41-40 at halftime thanks to 12 first-half points from Hugh O'Neil and 11 from David Reynolds.
• The teams exchanged the lead early in the second half before a 9-2 surge by the Mules, capped by a lay-in from Steven Daley, gave Colby a 55-49 lead midway through the frame.
• Bowdoin was able to answer with a 11-4 run and took a 60-59 advantage on a Jack Bors layup with 9:23 on the clock.
• Sparked by a Sam Jefferson three-pointer, Colby started pulling away and seemed to have the game in hand, taking an 11-point lead, 81-70, with under five minutes to play.
• Bowdoin wouldn't go away, however, and clawed back into the game and went on a dramatic 10-0 run, closing to within a single point, 85-84, following an O'Neil bucket with 1:09 to go.
• The Polar Bears had a possession to take the lead with under a minute to play, but committed a turnover. Colby made a pair of free throws and added a late basket to clinch the game.

By The Numbers

• Hugh O'Neil was outstanding in defeat, scoring 22 points on 10-13 shooting to go with 15 rebounds.
• David Reynolds ended with 16 while Jack Simonds (14) and Jack Bors (13) also saw double digits
• Ethan Schlager paced Colby with 19 points.
• Somehow Bowdoin was able to stay within shouting distance despite 13 made three-pointers by Colby and only four for the Polar Bears.
• Part of the reason was Bowdoin's 41-33 edge in rebounding, including 14 offensive boards, that led to 23 second-chance points.

Up Next

• Bowdoin will look to rebound on Tuesday when they host St. Joseph's at 7:00 p.m. in Morrell Gymnasium.