NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 77-75 conference victory earlier today over Clark University. Despite Clark holding advantages in rebounding proficiency and overall size, the Bears played their brand of scrappy basketball while benefiting from 20-point performances by senior guard Declan Rooney (Seattle, Wash.) and junior forward Luke Farrell (Ortley Beach, N.J.).

Coast Guard improves to 6-6 (2-1 NEWMAC) and gets out of a three-game losing streak, while the Cougars move to 7-6 (3-1 NEWMAC) and lose their second straight. Clark will be staying home for their next match-up, hosting Emerson College (6-6, 1-2 NEWMAC) on Tuesday, January 14th.

The Bears were trailing 22-30 with 4:08 to play in the first half before Rooney took over. The senior shook off an 0-4 start and scored each of Coast Guard's last 12 points. The outburst cut Clark's lead down to 36-33 and made him the game's leader in scoring at the break, going 4-10 in overall shooting and 4-4 on free throws. Farrell was right behind him with ten points. Both teams adopted a physical approach in the half, leading to a combined 15 foul calls, six of which were on the Bears.

Freshman guard Colin Huang (Irvine, Calif.) made the first start of his collegiate career and had his moments, picking up two steals and hitting a three-pointer earlier in the half. Coast Guard was limiting the individual efforts for Clark, but the visitors had eight different players put points on the board, led by sophomore guard Quentin Pridgen (Fitchburg, Mass.) and senior guard Bruce Saintilus (Plainville, Mass.), both of whom had eight.

Rooney stayed hot after halftime, scoring six of the Bears' first ten points while picking up a steal and assist on a play that ended in a fast break lay-up for junior guard Elijah Parent (Bristol, Conn.). Coast Guard kept in step with their guests, and with 8:04 left to play a finish at the rim by senior center Cameron Brown (Ellicott City, Md.) would help them go up 59-57 for their first lead of the game since 16:33 in the first half.

Clark would take the lead back on the next possession, but Coast Guard stayed persistent. The Cougars' largest lead from that point forward was just four points, until a huge three-pointer by junior guard Trevor Parks (Oldsmar, Fla.) allowed Coast Guard to regain a 69-68 advantage with 3:53 to go. The guests would tie it up a couple times but were unable to get over the hump, and a defensive rebound by Parks as time expired put a bow on a great defensive effort by the Bears down the stretch.

Rooney finished as the game's leading scorer, adding his 23 points (8-17 FG, 7-8 FT) to six assists and four steals. Farrell matched his career-high of 21 points (8-10 FG, 5-5 FT), tied with Parks for a team-leading five rebounds, and recorded three blocks. Brown, the NEWMAC's leader in blocks-per-game, swatted two shots himself.

Saintilus led the Cougars with 20 points (5-11 FG, 2-3 3PT, 8-10 FT) alongside six assists. Senior forward Kekoa McArdle (Pittsfield, Mass.) had a near double-double with 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-2 FT) and nine rebounds. The Bears did a excellent job against McArdle on the offensive glass, as the NEWMAC's leader in offensive rebounds-per-game was able to pull down just one of his teammates' misses.

The Bears will travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for more in-conference action at MIT (7-6, 1-3 NEWMAC) on Tuesday, January 14th. Coast Guard will look to hand the Engineers they're third loss in as many games. The teams split last season's series, but MIT took the most recent meeting by a score of 97-81. Rooney led the Bears with 22 points (8-12 FG, 3-6 3PT, 3-4 FT) alongside 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Yagey joined him in double-digits with 14 from the bench (5-9 FG, 4-4 FT).