For the Bears, however, the four-game stretch against the Eagles was a weekend to forget.

“We really showed that we have some guys that can really battle, some real dogs on our team…I think this tournament really showed us what we’re capable of.”

After making the flight from Atlanta to upstate New York, the Bears showed up ready to play on Sunday, Feb. 11. From the opening tipoff to the final whistle, the Bears put on a clinic, riding a 15-0 start, a rebounding performance for the history books, and lockdown defense to a 75-61 victory. 

The Bears had rattled off five straight wins before their trip to Atlanta and New York, catapulting them up the UAA standings and reviving their chances of an at-large NCAA tournament berth. This past weekend, the team had a chance to show off their improvement. They took full advantage of it, dominating No. 19 Emory and Rochester on Feb. 9 and 11, avenging their close losses from earlier this season. 

Entering the weekend hot off of a strong performance in their league opener at the University of Chicago and looking to extend their five-game winning streak, the No. 25 Bears faced off against No. 6 Emory and Rochester on Jan. 12 and 14. Unfortunately, the ball did not bounce the right way for the Bears.

As the Bears have learned in their first three UAA matchups — the one-point loss at Chicago on Jan. 6, four-point victory over Emory on Jan. 12, and one-point overtime win over Rochester on Jan. 14 — every single game in the UAA is likely going to come down to the wire, and eking out wins like their first two certainly will not be an easy task.

The team struggled over the weekend against local and conference rivals. “We just have not been able to replace what we had last year, and I didn’t think we would; we’re just really struggling to find it right now,” head coach Pat Bloom said.

“In my eyes, we have absolutely no reason not to be the favorites moving forward,” senior Justin Hardy said.

The 2-0 win was the Bears’ eighth clean sheet this season.

The weekend left the Bears 7-4 on the season.