NEW LONDON, Conn. (Feb. 10, 2013) -Freshman Victoria Sutherland led four Coast Guard players in double figures as the Bears defeated Mount Holyoke, 65-47 in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference contest. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, was moved as a result of Winter Storm Nemo. With the victory Coast Guard (9-12, 7-9 NEWMAC) moves into sole possession of fifth place in the NEWMAC standings while Mount Holyoke (5-16, 3-13 NEWMAC) is eliminated from postseason contention with the defeat.
Coast Guard put together arguably their two best halves of the season, a game epitomized by the workman-like effort of sophomore Dani Knox and her season-high game scoring. Knox recorded her first double-double of the season (10 points, 12 rebounds) on the strength of 5-for-9 shooting and five huge offensive boards. Joining her in double figures were freshman Victoria Sutherland (17) and juniors Kaitlin Ward (12) and Larla Brown (10).
After withstanding the initial blow by Mount Holyoke which saw them take a 10-9 lead, led by senior Angelica Pascual, Coast Guard outscored the Lyons by a 30-17 margin to close the first half. Pascual finished the game with a game-high 22 points and five rebounds.
For the game, the Bears were led by Knox's career-high tying 12. Helping on the glass for Coast Guard, Sutherland and senior Karli Collins had nine and seven rebounds respectively.
Freshman Meghan Fornaro also contributed of the bench with a career-high six assists while Leigha Steinbeck, playing a career-high 28 minutes, helped the cause with four points, four rebounds, four assists, and a game-high three steals.
In addition to Pascual, sophomore Amber Legare and junior Jennine Vizcaino each had five points.
The Bears return to action tomorrow night with a home game against rival Merchant Marine with tip-off scheduled for 7:00. The Lyons head to Springfield on Wednesday for a 7:30pm league game against the Pride.
Story courtesy of Jason Southard, Coast Guard Director of Media Relations. Photo courtesy of Frank Poulin Sports Photography.
