NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team defeated their rivals down the street, Connecticut College, by a score of 84-74 in an early evening home game tonight. Junior guard Dorothy Stotts and senior forward Julia Mann broke their respective career highs in points scored, with Stotts dropping 30 and Mann going for 23, while the whole team played tirelessly on both ends of the court throughout the game to outlast their opponents. Coast Guard improves to 4-1, handing Conn College their first loss of the season to move them to 3-1.

A 10-2 run by the Bears to open the game prompted Conn to call for a timeout about halfway through the first quarter. Coast Guard maintained their momentum, leading 27-18 by the break. The Bears shot 52.6% from the field on 19 attempts during the first ten minutes.

The Camels talked things over between quarters and started employing a more aggressive defensive strategy, which slowed down Coast Guard enough to allow the visitors to cut the Bears' lead down to one point after a 13-5 run. Coast Guard was the one calling a timeout this time, using it to regain their composure before limiting the Camels to six points for the rest of the period to take a 45-37 lead at the halftime buzzer.

Stotts was as close to unstoppable as one could get in the first half, pouring in 22 points on 8/10 from the field, 3/5 on three-point shots, and 3/3 from the free throw line. Mann's night was off to a good start as well, having drained a trio of three-pointers and pulling down six rebounds, three on each end.

The competitive play continued in the third quarter. Coast Guard led 56-48 when the Camels called for a timeout with 3:12 remaining and stayed in step with their visitors coming out of it to maintain a 61-54 lead. Stotts was guarded well in the quarter, and she would enter the final ten minutes just a point off of her then career-high of 25 after making just one shot.

She wouldn't have to wait long. Just 24 seconds into the fourth, Stotts drained a mid-range jumper to bring her total to 26, breaking the high score she set last season vs. Elms College on November 18th. Coast Guard maintained their lead, staying up 71-64 when Conn called a timeout halfway through the quarter. A three from Stotts just one minute later extended the Bears' lead to 76-66 and her total to 29.

The Camels would start employing late-game foul tactics. Mann, who took advantage of Conn's focus shift on Stotts in the second half to tie her career mark of 20, which she set during the 2022-23 season vs. Mitchell College on January 9th, was sent to the line and set her new high score by making her first attempt. Stotts would get to the line next, making one to extend her career high to 30 and Coast Guard's lead to 84-74 before Mann converted one more free throw late to finalize her mark at 23 and the score at 84-74.

Stotts' 30-piece was the most in a game by a Coast Guard player since senior forward and teammate Kelly Hagerty's 30-point performance vs. Westfield State last December 2nd. Hagerty had a solid defensive night, pulling down six of her eight rebounds from the defensive glass and recording two blocks and two steals. Mann added 12 rebounds to her stat line for her first double-double of the season and her first since her 14-point, 11-board performance vs. New England College during the 22-23 season on January 18th. Senior guard Catie Donadio led the Camels with 22 points, while sophomore forward Addi Hunter had 19. Senior forward Glory Blethen also had double-digits with a 10-point night on 5/10 from the field to go with six rebounds.

The Bears will get a couple of days' rest before their next game this Saturday, November 23rd, a home matchup vs. Endicott College at noon. The Gulls are 1-3 after losing their most recent game 60-71 yesterday at Tufts. Coast Guard is 2-3 all-time against Endicott but dominated in last year's competition to the tune of 92-57. Four Bears hit double-digits in the game, with Hagerty having the best night of all of them with an 18-point showing on 8/10 shooting; Stotts put up 17, and Blethen had 12 points and nine rebounds.