NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team were the victims of a 64-70 loss to Wheaton College (Mass.) in NEWMAC action this evening. Wheaton had four players  finish the game with more than 13 points.

Coast Guard's second loss in as many games moves them to 7-9 (3-4 NEWMAC), while the Lyons stay hot with their fourth win to improve to 9-7 (4-3 NEWMAC). Wheaton battles no. 19 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (14-2, 6-1 NEWMAC) for their next game this Thursday, January 23rd.

The Bears found themselves holding a 19-17 lead with 12:14 to play in the first half before a 10-4 burst made it a 29-21 game with just over seven minutes on the clock. Wheaton would play lockdown defense for the remainder while creating a 10-4 run of their own. Coast Guard would hold on to the 33-31 lead doing into halftime.

The teams would trade buckets and leads over the first five minutes of the second half. A three-pointer by Lyons team captain Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) gave the visitors a lead with 16:55 to play, an advantage they wouldn't relinquish for 12 minutes. The Bears would float in and out of striking distance regained the lead with 4:44 to go on a mid-range jumper by junior guard Trevor Parks (Oldsmar, Fla.), which made it 57-56.

After swapping leads on the next two possessions, Wheaton would regain the advantage on another Herry three-pointer with 3:37 remaining. The hosts were unable to pry it back. A major difference between the two teams down the stretch, and throughout the game, turned out to be foul shots. Coast Guard went 3-3 from the line while the Lyons went 22-26, including going 19-22 in the second half alone.

Bears senior Ben Yagey (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) had 18 points (7-14 FG, 3-6 3PT, 1-1 FT) to lead both teams. He was joined in double-digits by Parks and fellow senior Declan Rooney (Seattle, Wash.), who contributed ten each. Junior forward Luke Farrell (Ortley Beach, N.J.) had a quiet night on offense but made his presence known on defense with two blocks and three steals.

Herry finished with 15 points (4-15 FG, 3-11 3PT, 4-4 FT), second on the Lyons to sophomore guard Dimetri Iafrate's (Johnston, R.I.) 16 (6-9 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-4 FG); the NEWMAC's leader in steals per game also picked three pockets to likely  maintain his top mark. Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) and Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) had a pair of 13-point nights to join their teammates in double-digits, with Thaher's ten rebounds securing a double-double for the big man.

Coast Guard continues their NEWMAC campaign on Thursday by hosting Babson College (10-6, 4-3 NEWMAC). The two teams split last season's regular season series before the Beavers later bested the Bears in the NEWMAC quarterfinals, 87-76.