BRISTOL, R.I. –

After an exhibition at Sacred Heart earlier this week, the Bears officially opened up their 2026-27 campaign this evening with an 88-71 loss at Roger Williams. The win starts the Hawks off on the right foot at 1-0, they will next travel to Clark University on Wednesday November 11th to face the Cougars.

Coast Guard started off strong, with an Ashton Kendall (Baltimore, Md.) three pointer on their first possession and Matt Poulsen (Redding, Calif.) jumper on their second to take a 5-2 lead. From there, the Bears would keep pace with the Hawks across the first 10 minutes of the half, with a Will Briggs (Denton, Tex.) free throw giving them a 19-16 lead. 

That lead at 19-16 however would be their last of the evening with a 25-12 run to end the half.

After shooting just 39.1% (30% from three) in the first half, the Bears shooting woke up in a big way in the second half, improving to 60%, 50% from three. The strong shooting to close out the game was not the only bright spot in game one, with the Bears getting 28 points from three freshmen, including leading scorer Matt Poulsen with 17.

Joining Poulsen in double figures were Ashton Kendall and Tyler Henderson (Fayetteville, N.C.), both with 12. Kendall and Henderson were also the CGA leaders in steals with two a piece. The sophomore Kendall tied for the team lead in rebounds as well with four, tying Aiden Dabbondanza (Gaithersburg, Md.). Dabbondanza also delivered the Bears lone block of the day.

Coast Guard will travel to Sarah Lawrence in Bronxville, N.Y. on Wednesday November 11th at 7:00 PM. Sarah Lawrence opened up their season this afternoon with an 83-68 win over Regis and will face Bard tomorrow.