BOSTON, Mass. — 

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team made it back-to-back wins in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action today with their 85-77 victory at Emerson College. Luke Farrell (Ortley Beach, N.J.) and Jordan Frazer (Columbia, S.C.) both recorded double-doubles in the win.

Coast Guard improves to 6-11 overall and 2-7 in NEWMAC games, while Emerson's fifth consecutive loss drops them to 7-11 and 3-6. The Lions will have a chance to reverse their fortunes when they travel to Salve Regina University (12-5, 5-3) on Wednesday, January 28th.

Farrell's season-best 29 points to go with ten rebounds was his NEWMAC-leading seventh double-double of the season. The senior shot 10-for-18 from the field with a pair of three-pointers and 7-for-11 on free throws, four of which came from and-one opportunities.

Behind the senior leader in scoring was Ashton Kendall (Baltimore, Md.), who followed up his career-high performance versus MIT on Saturday with another gem of 20 points on 8-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the line. The freshman had 14 in the first half alone and added four rebounds, a block, and a steal to his final line.

Frazer joined Farrell in the double-double club with 13 points and a career-best 12 rebounds. The junior extended his impact with game-highs of six assists and four steals. Also of note defensively was Aiden Dabbondanza (Gaithersburg, Md.) with two steals.

International talent was on full display for Emerson, whose leading scorer was German 7-footer Linus Helmhold with 16 points alongside nine rebounds. Spanish guard Guillermo Gasset-Ruiz posted a double-double of 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds to go with three blocks and a steal. Ben McNamara led the Lions with five assists.

Emerson held a 40-32 lead at halftime thanks to some success in getting to the line. Both sides had 12 makes from the field up to that point, with Emerson holding a slight 4-3 advantage in three-pointers, but the Lions' 12-for-14 effort on free throws heavily outweighed the Bears' 5-for-6.

Emerson was ahead 30-18 with 4:38 to play in the opening 20 before Coast Guard went on a 14-4 run, but the Lions regained control by scoring the final six points of the first half. The second opened with Coast Guard going 7-0 to force a Lions timeout at 18:17. Emerson came out of it with an 11-2 response to force a break request by the Bears exactly three minutes later.

The Lions kept extending their lead while Coast Guard kept reeling them back in. Farrell eventually tied it at 69 with 5:39 left to play by powering through contact on a layup and converting the and-one. A Parent triple on the next possession was followed by a Frazer layup to give Coast Guard a sudden 74-69 advantage.

Frazer was once again instrumental to the Bears' catch-up and close-out efforts, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the final ten minutes and dishing four of his six assists in the second half alone. The junior even sealed the game at 1:03 by forcing a turnover from the Lions, who were still within a 73-78 striking range.

The Bears outscored Emerson in the second half by a 53-37 margin to secure the victory, making 18 shots on 58.1% efficiency to outdo Emerson's 13 makes on 46.4%. Also working in Coast Guard's favor was a swing in drawing fouls, with CGA going 11-for-14 while Emerson went 6-for-7.

FULL BOX SCORE

Bears men's basketball will see action again on Wednesday, January 28th, when they travel to Wheaton College (Mass.) for more NEWMAC action at 8 PM ET. Coast Guard will look to avenge a high-octane 75-81 loss in their first go-around with the Lyons on January 7th. Farrell was good for a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double, while fellow seniors Elijah Parents (Bristol, Conn.) and Trevor Parks (Clearwater, Fla.) both added 15.