NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Coast Guard Women's Basketball started the season on a high note with a 67-63 win over non-conference opponent Gordon College. Sophomore Glory Blethen led the Bears with a double-double, 11 points, and 11 rebounds. The Bears are now 1-0; the Fighting Scots fall to 0-1.

The Bears used a great team effort to beat the Fighting Scots, with 11 players seeing action and four players scoring in double figures. Joining Blethen were Kira Wood with 15, Lily Mika with 12, and Dorothy Stotts with 11 in her college debut. Stotts also added eight rebounds, and Wood and Julia Mann had five apiece. The Bears used 14 bench points from Taylor Lynch, Mann, and Abbey Guidry over Gordon's ten bench points to secure the win.

The Bears started hot on a 4-0 run with a lay-up from Jacqueline Ward and two free throws from Blethen. It was all Coast Guard in the first quarter, with Blethen ending it with two more made free throws, giving the Bears the early lead, 23-10, after one. The Bears led by as many as 18 on a Ward layup with 5:01 remaining in the second quarter. The Fighting Scots outscored the Bears in the quarter, 19-16, but Coast Guard still took a 10-point lead into the half, 39-29.

A great pass from Blethen to Mika put her on the line, and a few plays later Lynch hit Blethen for the layup in the third quarter. The Bears' lead was cut again as the Fighting Scots outscored the Bears 15-11 in the third.

A 9-5 run to start the fourth brought the Fighting Scots with two of the Bears. Gordon kept it close, but a well-timed 3-pointer from Mika gave the Bears the 66-61 lead. Ward made a free throw and Stotts secured a defensive rebound to give the Bears the win.

Coach Ivansheck spoke on the game: "I give a lot of credit to Gordon, they withstood our run at the beginning of the game to fight their way back and make it competitive. I thought we made plays, got rebounds, and got stops when we had to, which led to a win."

The Bears had 24 points off the 29 turnovers they forced. Gordon shot 35.6% from the floor and 22.2% from three, while the Bears shot 32.9% from the floor and 25.8% from three. 

The Bears are back in action on Saturday, November 12 at 1 PM as they take on the Gulls of Endicott College at home.