WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — 

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team was overpowered on Thursday night in a 59-83 loss to regional power University of Saint Joseph. Powering the win for Saint Joseph was a dominant showing in the paint, which saw them outscore the Bears, 38-18, in the lane.

The Bears move to 4-4, while the Blue Jays improve to 5-5. Due to the holiday break, Saint Joseph will have to wait until December 31st for their next contest, a road match-up at undefeated Montclair State University (10-0). The Red Hawks are currently ranked as the #10 team in the country according to the d3hoops.com Top 25.

Elijah Parent (Bristol, Conn.) was the only Bear to reach double-digits, dropping 13 points with a team-leading three assists. Luke Farrell (Ortley Beach, N.J.), Christian Rodgers (Linwood, N.J.), and Cormac Love (Blue Point, N.Y.) had four rebounds each to lead the visitors. Saint Joseph was led by a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double by Deivone Tanksley Jr., with Lence Altenor contributing 16 points along with his two steals and a block.

Saint Joseph's paint prowess was the biggest contributor to their 52.7% shooting rate on the night, while Coast Guard shot just 30.6%. The Bears were also hampered by a 26-46 rebounding disadvantage, the majority of which for Saint Joseph came from 38 defensive rebounds.

Coast Guard stayed within nine points of the hosts for the first ten minutes of the first half, but the Blue Jays were able to get their first double-digit lead of the game after Billy Ray Barnes III finished a jumper through contact and proceeded to sink the and-one chance. The three-point play gave Saint Joseph a 25-15 lead with 10:01 to go until halftime.

The difference in score hovered around ten for the next few minutes as the Bears made attempts to chip away, but the Blue Jays ultimately took a 50-25 lead into halftime by closing out the first on a 21-4. Despite being unable to surmount the deficit, Coast Guard outscored their hosts in the second by a 34-33 margin.

Bears men's basketball will also get a well-earned rest due to the holiday break before returning on December 29th in North Carolina to take on Guilford College (4-4) in the opening contest of the Springhill Suites Guilford Holiday Classic. The victor of that game will face the winner of the showcase's other match-up, Concordia College-Moorhead (6-2) versus Skidmore College (4-3), the following day.