BABSON PARK, Mass.  -  Despite today's 59-77 loss to Babson College in both teams' regular season finales, the Coast Guard men's basketball team has earned a chance to extend their season by qualifying for the NEWMAC Championship Tournament.

A competitive first half saw Babson hold a 22-21 lead with under six minutes to play before the Beavers made some space with a 10-2 run. Coast Guard cut the hosts' lead back down to four with a minute-and-a-half remaining thanks to a three-pointer by Colin Huang (Irvine, Calif.) and a layup from Elijah Parent (Bristol, Conn.), but Babson regained control and extended their lead to 38-28 by the end of the half.

The Bears got their adversaries back down to a 40-35 lead with under 16 minutes on the clock thanks to a layup by Luke Farrell (Ortley Beach, N.J.) and two free-throw makes from Declan Rooney (Seattle, Wash.). Both teams traded scores over the next few possessions, but Babson eventually extended their advantage into double-digits with 11:39 on the clock and didn't look back. A layup from Jordan Frazer (Columbia, S.C.) with six-and-a-half minutes left made it 58-48, which was smallest Beavers lead be for the rest of the night.

Tough shooting weighed down the Bears, who shot 20-for-60 (33.3%) from the field and 5-for-20 (25.0%) on three-pointers; Babson was 30-for-65 (46.2%) on field goals and bounced back from shooting 3-for-16 (18.8%) from three in the first half to go 6-for-14 (42.9%) in the second.

Rooney led the Bears in scoring and steals with 14 points and two picked-pockets; Huang also cracked double-digits with 11. Farrell had the team-high in rebounds with seven while recording a steal and both of Coast Guard's blocks in the contest. Other top scorers for the Bears were  Parent with nine, Frazer with eight, and Cameron Brown (Ellicott City, Md.) with seven. Parent, Brown, and Trevor Parks (Oldsmar, Fla.) all recorded one steal on the night.

On the hosts' side, Timmy Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) tied Rooney for the game-high in points with 14. He was followed by Felix Kloman (Ipswich, Mass.), who had 11 and a game-high five assists; and Ryan Frauenheim (Manasquin, N.J.), who scored 10 points, recorded four assists, and was one of three Beavers with two steals. One of those players was Nate Amado (Hanson, Mass.), who added five rebounds and a game-high three blocks to his final line. Timmy O'Toole (Milton, Mass.) had the game-high in rebounds, with eight.

Despite the loss, the Bears season continues as they begin gearing up for the NEWMAC Championship Tournament as this season's sixth seed. They'll return to Babson Park for their third match-up of the season against the third-seeded Beavers on Tuesday, February 25th, at 7 p.m.