WENHAM, Mass.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team got themselves back in the win column tonight, outplaying the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes, 96-72. It was the opening game for both teams at this year's Gordon Classic, hosted by Gordon College. Coast Guard improved to 2-1 while Geneva falls to 2-2. The 96-point showing was the Bears' most in a single game since a 96-67 victory vs. Clark University on January 25, 2023. 

Looking to avoid a repeat of their first quarter and overall performance just a couple of nights ago at RPI, the Bears went on a 10-0 run to open the game before leading 28-14 at the buzzer. Senior forward Kelly Hagerty led the way during the first ten minutes of play, already putting in a decent night's work on the offensive end by scoring 12 points on 5/6 shooting. The key difference between both teams in the first quarter was three point success - Coast Guard was red hot to start, shooting 3/4, while the Tornadoes were unable to convert any of their six attempts.

Geneva went on a 9-4 run to start the second quarter, prompting Bears head coach Alex Ivansheck to call a timeout to talk things over with her team. The players took her words to heart and proceeded to outscore the Tornadoes 16-10 and take a 53-33 lead into halftime. The Bears went cold from three, going just one of six, but scored 16 points in the paint to fuel their success.

Hagerty scored one point in the quarter, draining a free throw to bring her total to 13. Senior forward Julia Mann and junior guard Dorothy Stotts poured in 15 each by the break, while first-year guard Olivia Wright scored seven off the bench. Geneva's leading scorer in the half was junior guard Emily Garvin, who had 12 on 5/7 from the field.

The Tornadoes decided to switch gears during their halftime talk and began employing a full-court press coming out of the break. The ensuing period would be a shoot-out, with Coast Guard being nearly unaffected by the press and Geneva finding some luck from three, but the Bears went into the final period with a 77-59 lead after being narrowly outscored by their opponents 24-26 in the third. Coast Guard was able to stave off the offensive awakening from Geneva thanks to their efficiency from the field, shooting 47.4% on 19 attempts in the quarter, while the Tornadoes shot 39.1% on 23 attempts.

The Bears outscored Geneva 19-13 in the fourth quarter, shooting 40% on 15 attempts while the Tornadoes shot 22.2% on 18 tries. Overall, the Bears shot 50.7% in the game. Hagerty found her stride again in the second half, finishing the game with a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double, with her point total being the second-most by a Bear this season. Stotts also finished with a 20-piece, going for 21 while senior forward Glory Blethen scored all 13 of her points in the second half to go along with eight rebounds. Garvin maintained her scoring lead for the Tornadoes with a 22-point showing, while she was joined in the double digits by junior forward Anna Ulmer, who had 14.

The Bears will round out their weekend with their second game at the Gordon Classic tomorrow, at 1 p.m., against Dean College. The two teams met at last year's Classic in a match-up Coast Guard would more than win as they defeated the Bulldogs, 77-19. Stotts and Hagerty scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, while junior forward Mackenzie Hilden went for a double-double by scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards.