NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team pulled off a 78-77 overtime win this evening over the visiting Trinity College Bantams. Junior guard Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) drained a desperation three-point attempt with eight seconds left in regulation to cap a 19-point fourth-quarter comeback for the Bears.

Senior guard Julia Mann (Central Square) kept the Bears in it during the extra period, scoring six points on some clutch free throws and close-range shooting before Stotts converted the deciding point on a late free throw to put Coast Guard up by one with two seconds left. The Bears' record improves to 6-1, while Trinity moves to 5-2 as they set their sights on a bounce-back win at home this Saturday, December 7th, vs. the Stevens Ducks.

A competitive game was in store for those in attendance. Coast Guard entered the game on a four-game win streak that included close wins in their last two vs. Connecticut College and Endicott; meanwhile, the Bantams' five-game win streak was snapped just a few days earlier, on Sunday, by #15/12 Smith College. Despite the stumble, they still received votes in the latest D3hoops.com and WBCA Division III national polls.

Volume was the plan for Trinity in the first half The visitors led 47-32 at halftime after shooting 21-43 (48.8%) from the field, offsetting a less-than-ideal 5-17 (29.4%) on three-point shots. The Bears struggled to keep up, shooting 12-31 (38.7%) overall and 4-9 (44.4%) on threes.

The Bantams continued their dominance after the break. They extended their lead to 62-44 by the end of the third quarter, but they were showing signs of slowing down after shooting 6-18 (33.3%) and missing all five of their attempts from beyond the arc. Coast Guard was unable to take advantage of the slump due to an inefficient quarter on their end, going 5-17 (29.4%) from the field and 0-6 on threes.

Trinity would extend the lead to 19 at the start of the fourth quarter after a made free throw, but the switch would be flipped during the Bantams' next possession. Stotts stole the ball from sophomore guard Avery Marzo (Shrewsbury, Mass.), and the turnover led to a two-point bucket for Mann.

The score kicked off a nine-point run for the Bears as they trimmed the Bantums' lead down to ten points. Sophomore guard Olivia Vick (Chicago, Ill.) converted a lay-up to make it 12, but senior forward Kelly Hagerty (Emerald Isle, N.C.) met her in the paint for a huge block, kicking off another crucial Coast Guard scoring streak that eventually made it a one-point contest with under four minutes left.

Junior forward Melissa Whitmore (Hanover, N.H.) converted a close shot to break up the run and get her team back up to a three-point lead, but Mann would get those points back on the next possession after draining two free throws. A three-pointer on the next Trinity possession by Marzo made it four points, but another pair of clutch free throws made by Mann got it back to two with under thirty to play.

A foul by the Bears sent senior guard Hanna Marzo (Shrewsbury, Mass.) to the line; she would miss the first but make the second, setting up a less-than-ideal situation for the Bears. Following a timeout, Coast Guard inbounded the ball and tried to find space for the last-second equalizer. Junior guard Taylor Lynch (Madison, Ind.) found Stotts, who had space thanks to a screen by senior forward Glory Blethen (Boothbay, Maine), and she found nylon on the last-ditch effort with just eight seconds to go.

"I really wasn't trying to think about anything other than that shot, and it worked in my favor this time," Stotts said of her make. "Both Blethen and Lynch set me up well to put me in that position." Vick would attempt the game-winner, but she was stuffed again by Hagerty. A missed jumper and an ensuing missed put-back layup for the Bantams were also unsuccessful, sending the game to overtime tied at 71.

"Going into OT, I was more than confident in the team and how we would play," recalled Stotts. "At that point, we had nothing to lose, having come back from a 19-point deficit and had to just keep playing our type of basketball."

The Bears would go up by two almost immediately after two more successful free throws for Mann, but junior forward Samantha Slofkiss (Marlboro, N.J.) tied it back up for the Bantams with a layup. Vick scored next, converting a mid-range jumper to put her team up 75-73 before Mann tied it again with, you guessed it, two free throws. Junior guard Dorion Lucy (Needham, Mass.) made it 77-75 in Trinity's favor with a layup, but Mann proved the equalizer again, this time with an excellent finish around the rim.

Trinity would drain the clock on their next possession before Lucy drove for a layup, but another clutch block by Hagerty gave Coast Guard another chance. They put it in Stotts' hands again, but a foul call on the elder Marzo sent the junior to the line for two. She missed the first but gave Coast Guard the one-point lead on the second try with two seconds left.

"Taking those free throws at the end of the game, I just kept my composure and knew that my team had my back whether I made or missed," Stotts said. Trinity would try one more time to hit the game-winner but was unable to get the shot off before the buzzer.

Stotts led the Bears in scoring with 22 points on 8-16 shooting and 4-5 on three-pointers; Mann was yet again a Swiss army tool with her clutch performance, finishing just two off from her career-high in points with 21 and securing her second double-double of the season with ten rebounds alongside two blocks and two steals; Hagerty and Blethen terrorized Trinity in the paint all game, with the former scoring 14 from close range to go with her four blocks while the latter set a season-high in swats with three. Blethen is now just seven blocks from tying the program's career record.

Vick was the leader in scoring for the Bantams, dropping 18 points on 8-19; behind her was sophomore Madi Forman (Natick, Mass.), who secured a double-double with a 12-point, 10-board showing alongside a game-high five blocks.

The Bears will be on the road for the next one, heading to the other New London in New Hampshire to take on the Colby-Sawyer College Chargers on Saturday, December 7th; tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Colby-Sawyer is 6-2, but those two losses have come in their last two games, the most recent of the two being a 28-67 loss at Amherst College this evening.