NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  The Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team celebrated the servicewomen who came before them today with their annual SPARS Game. The Bears would mark the occasion with a strong 81-64 win over NEWMAC rivals Wellesley College, with the effort supplemented by an efficient three-point shooting day for the hosts in which seven cadets converted from long-range and three players made at least three.

Coast Guard improves to 14-5 (3-2 NEWMAC) and picks up their second win in a row; Wellesley moves to 6-12 (1-4 NEWMAC) following their fourth-straight loss. The Blue will try to get back on track in their next one on Wednesday, February 5th, in which they'll play host to Babson College (10-9, 2-3 NEWMAC).

After the first quarter ended with the score tied at 15, the two teams would trade baskets and scoring runs in the opening minutes of the second. The Bears held a 34-33 lead before going on a 12-2 run to close out the half. Coast Guard out-shot the Blue from the three-point line, going 9-16 (56.3%) and limiting the Blue to 1-6 (16.7%), and held a 23-16 advantage in rebounding. The Bears were especially effective on the offensive glass, out-grabbing their guests by a 12-4 margin. Wellesley was able to stay in step with their hosts for most of it thanks to superior overall shooting, going 13-28 (46.4%) from the field while Coast Guard went 18-41 (43.9%).

Junior guard Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) had a game-leading 15 points at the break, eight of which came during Coast Guard's scoring run; she was followed by senior captain Julia Mann (Central Square, N.Y.), who had 11. Wellesley was led by season-scoring leader Trinity Barrow (Evans, Ga.), who finished the first 20 minutes with 10 points and five rebounds.

The second half saw more the same, with the Bears scoring and the Blue trying to chip away. Wellesley would get the hosts lead down to 11 with 6:07 to play, Coast Guard's smallest lead since the waning minutes of the first half, but a 12-7 game-closing run for the Bears would seal the deal. Coast Guard carried over their efficient shooting from the first half, going 14-32 (43.8) from the field and 6-12 (50.0%) on threes during the final 20 minutes.

Stotts finished with 20 points (8-17 FG, 4-8 3PT) to lead the Bears after being guarded closely in the second half, but she remained a key contributor by racking up a game-high eight assists, just one off from her career-high. Mann was next up with 17 points, which was primarily made with a perfect 4-4 day from beyond the arc; she also had a game-leading three steals.

Also in double-digits for the Bears were senior captains Glory Blethen (Boothbay, Maine) and Kelly Hagerty (Emerald Isle, N.C.); Blethen's 14 points included a career-high three made three-pointers, while Hagerty posted 12 points and 10 rebounds for the 14th double-double of her career. Another key contributor was freshman guard Elliot Geer (Jay, Okla.), who grabbed three of her total four rebounds on offense and recorded five assists, matching the entire Blue roster in the latter during her 23 minutes on the court.

Barrow finished as the game's leader in points, with 20 (9-14 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-2 FT), alongside a quality defensive performance in which she pulled down eight boards on defense (nine in total) with two blocks and a steal. She was joined in double-digits by Ava Shane (Plano, Tex.), who scored 12 to pair with her seven rebounds.

The Bears will look to make it three in a row on Wednesday as they hit the road for a Western Massachusetts match-up at no. 7/6 Smith College (17-1, 5-0 NEWMAC). The reigning conference champions and last year's national runners-up are on a 13-game win streak and took last season's face-off in New London by a score of 77-55. Stotts, Blethen, and Hagerty combined for 41 points while recording a trio of double-digit performances.