NEW LONDON , Conn. — 

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy women's basketball team picked up a wire-to-wire 71-54 victory over New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) adversaries Wheaton College on Wednesday in their final game at Alumni Gymnasium for the 2025-26 season. The result was a crucial one for USCGA, who find themselves on the bubble for the upcoming conference tournament during the final week of the season.

Coast Guard evens out their overall record to 12-12 and gains some ground in the NEWMAC at 4-6, while the Lyons have been officially knocked out of the league playoffs with respective records of 1-9 and 5-19. Wheaton will close out their campaign on Saturday, February 21st, by hosting Babson College (16-8, 8-2) for Senior Day.

Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) led the Bears with 31 points on 13-for-26 shooting, her sixth time eclipsing 30 points in a game this season, while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Colleen Finnegan (Dover, Pa.) followed with 13 points, scoring seven in the first quarter, and seven rebounds. Elliot Geer (Grove, Okla.) led the squad with five assists, while Taylor Lynch's (Madison, Ind.) four helpers put her in rare air as just the fourth cadet-athlete in program history to compile 300 assists during her time in New London. The game was also Lynch's 100th, logging a team-high 39 minutes while becoming the 15th cadet-athlete to reach the century mark in that regard. The senior was one of three players with at least two steals, joining Olivia Wright (Midlothian, Va.) with two each while big MacKenzie Hilden (Dover, Pa.) had a squad-leading three.

Leading the Lyons was a good two-way day from Regan Keyter, who dropped 23 points while pulling nine rebounds and swatting four shots. Also solid on both ends was Cheyenne Colbert with 14 points, nine boards, a block, and a steal. Kennis Jasperson dished out a game-high six assists while spending 38 minutes on the floor, while Darlene Tashboya rounded up four rebounds from the offensive glass at part of her contest-leading ten boards. Kate Rafferty also recorded a pair of steals for the Lyons.

Neither team shot over 40% from the field on the night, with USCGA's 37.8% edging out their guests 32.8%. Coast Guard never trailed despite the slow night, holding the lead for over 39 minutes of gametime outside of a pair of ties during the first minute of the opening quarter. Neither team held an advantage in rebounding, securing 44 each, but it was turnovers that did the Lyons in. Wheaton gave up the ball 20 times, nine of them being steals by the Bears, who cashed in the turnovers for 17 points throughout the night to supplement their 17-point victory.

Stotts dropped 12 points in the first quarter alone alongside Finnegan's seven to lead Coast Guard to a 25-15 lead through the opening ten minutes. Wheaton chipped away in the second, eventually getting their deficit down to 24-30 with 6:39 to go, but a 13-3 run by Coast Guard gave the hosts a 16-point cushion at halftime. Stotts led the effort with seven points. After the lead was trimmed by two points in the third, Coast Guard put the Lyons away for good by opening the fourth quarter with nine unanswered points.

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Bears women's basketball now looks ahead to their final game of the season on Saturday the 21st at Mount Holyoke College (0-9, 4-19). Last season's meeting in New London was a 64-25 blowout win for the Bears.