NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team suffered a 54-77 setback tonight at the hands of visiting Springfield College. The result is Coast Guard's first loss at home and in NEWMAC play this season.

The Bears move to 12-4 (1-1 NEWMAC), while Springfield snaps a four-game skid to improve to 9-7 (1-1 NEWMAC). The Pride will stay on the road for their next one, heading to Wellesley College to take on the Blue (6-9, 1-1 NEWMAC).

After a fast-paced first quarter and a similarly-opened second, Coast Guard found themselves in striking distance of a 29-26 Springfield lead with 6:48 until halftime. The Pride would then score 14 unanswered points over the next three minutes. A jumper by junior guard Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) ended the run at 3:07, and the Bears would blank their visitors for the remainder of the quarter while slightly closing the gap. Springfield led, 40-33, at the break.

Coast Guard was unable to carry their newfound momentum into the third quarter, with the Pride rolling to outscore their hosts by 16 points during the final two periods. The result was heavily influenced by disparate rebounding numbers for both teams: Springfield outrebounded their hosts, 45-27, with a 20-6 difference in the Pride's favor on the offensive glass.

Stotts led the Bears with 19 points (6-14 FG, 2-9 3PT, 5-6 FT) to maintain her conference lead in scoring. The only other cadet to reach double digits for the Bears was senior captain Julia Mann (Central Square, N.Y.), who had 11. Fellow captain Kelly Hagerty (Emerald Isle, N.C.) had a near double-double with an 8-point, 8-rebound performance.

On the other end, Springfield was carried on offense by a pair of 20-point games by Angie Czeremcha (West Springfield, Mass.) and Amanda Leary (Westbury, N.Y.). Czeremcha, the reinging NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year, had a night to remember by scoring a career-high 26 points and the 1,000th point of her career, becoming the 18th Springfield player to reach the mark. Leary had a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

The Bears will look to bounce back this Saturday as they head to Boston, Massachusetts to take on Emerson College (11-5, 2-0 NEWMAC). Coast Guard blew out the Lions in last season's 77-50 victory, which saw a 21-point game from Stotts. Alongside the Minnesotan, Hagerty had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds while now-senior captain Glory Blethen (Boothbay, Maine) had a solid 13 points alongside seven boards.