WORCESTER, Mass. —
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team fell to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foes Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 43-53, in a Wednesday evening battle of wills. The Engineers pulled off the win amidst a night of poor shooting that saw neither team hit over 40% of their shots from the field.
The Bears, who remain without a win on the road in NEWMAC games this season, drop to 11-11 overall and 3-5 in league play, while WPI's third win in their last four games improves them to 13-9 and 4-4. The Engineers will face stiff competition in continuing their strong play as of late when they travel to Smith College (21-1, 8-0) for their next one on Saturday, February 14th.
Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) scored 15 points to lead Coast Guard in scoring once again. The senior was the only Bear to reach double-digits and dished out a team-high three assists, while
Elliot Geer (Grove, Okla.) pulled down and rounded up a squad-leading five rebounds. On the defensive end of the court,
Farrah Peterein (Oxnard, Calif.) had two of the Bears' three blocks and Stotts and
Taylor Lynch (Madison, Ind.) nabbed two steals a piece. Geer also recorded a swipe and
Colleen Finnegan (Dover, Pa.) had a block and a steal.
Ava Giansiracusa led the Engineers — as well as all scorers, rebounders, and assisters — with 21 points, seven boards, and four assists.
Emmy Allyn followed her with a good two-way game of 13 points and four steals.
Leila Nielsen had five rebounds and a team-high two blocks.
Despite the Engineers shooting just 39.6% on all field goals for the game, Coast Guard was bogged down by their own 27.3% shooting rate. The Bears trailed at halftime, 23-18, after a first 20 minutes that saw them shoot 7-for-30, including a 1-for-14 first quarter. WPI held a 10-3 lead at the end of that first ten, utilizing a 8-0 opening run over the first four minutes, which was eventually broken up by a Finnegan three-pointer.
Coast Guard was in a 21-8 hole with 3:32 to play in the half before closing out the second quarter on a 10-2 run, built by a pair of layups from
Olivia Wright (Midlothian, Va.) and threes from Stotts and Peterein. The Bears shot an improved 37.5% in the quarter, including makes on three of their six tries from past the arc.
WPI's success at turning turnovers into points defined the third quarter for the Bears. Both sides lost the ball four times in the period, but the Engineers were able to cash those changes of possession in for 12 points, the bulk of their eventual 14 points off of turnovers. Coast Guard was shut out in that regard.
The Bears' comeback attempt in the fourth quarter was nulled by their hosts as both teams scored 15 points in the final ten minutes. Coast Guard trailed by as little as 38-43 following a Geer layup at the five-minute mark, but Giansiracusa responded just 14 seconds later with a three-pointer. The sides traded makes from the line and a layup on the next couple of possessions before Allyn sunk the dagger with a jumper at 2:07.
FULL BOX SCORE
Bears women's basketball will look to bounce back on Saturday the 14th when they host the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (12-10, 6-2) for a 1:00 PM ET contest. Coast Guard will be looking for their first win against the Beavers since a 71-53 victory during the 2017-18 season. Last year's battle in Cambridge was a close 79-88 loss that featured 26 points and six assists from Stotts.
