Basketball Falls 89-52 to Coast Guard on Saturday

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Coast Guard sophomore Kira Wood (Seattle, Wash.) scored a game-high 25 points, leading the Bears to a 89-52 win over Wellesley on Saturday afternoon.

It was the first game for the Blue since December 7, as the team falls to 2-9 overall and 0-1 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play. Coast guard improves to 7-4 overall and 1-0 in the NEWMAC.

Wood finished 10-of-14 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from downtown. Senior forward Kyra Hartman (Shillington, Penn.) recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench, first year Julia Mann (Central Square, N.Y.) finished with 15 points and 13 boards. 

Sophomore Anna Greenthal (Orinda, Calif.) knocked down three triples and finished with a team-high 23 points. Senior Valentina Morakis (Long Island, N.Y.) had 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting and brought down six rebounds. Junior Taylor Hirn (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) tallied nine points and four assists. First year Sairah O'Brien-Forde (Binghamton, N.Y.) had a career-high 13 rebounds and added five points.

The Bears came firing out of the gate and grabbed an early 10-2 lead, after Jacqueline Ward (Brant Beach, N.J.) made a three-pointer. Greenthal would answer for the Blue, knocking down a pair from beyond the arc to cut the Coast Guard lead to five. The Bears would take a 19-12 advantage to end the first quarter with Kelly Hagerty (Emerald Isle, N.C.) scoring on back-to-back possessions. The Blue netted the first bucket of the second quarter, but quickly fell behind. The Bears used an 18-1 run in the second to go ahead 38-15. Morakis would end the run with a made layup off a dish from Greenthal. Greenthal would end the half with a near half court buzzer beater and the Blue trailed 45-22.

The Bears once again used a mid-quarter run to extend its lead to 64-33. Wellesley's O'Brien-Forde ended the third with a tough layup as time expired. Greenthal opened up the fourth with a pair of free throws to make the score 70-39. Morakis had a solid final quarter, scoring six points on 3-of-4 shooting and tallied two offensive rebounds. Coast Guard would get seven points in the fourth from Mann and go on to win by a final score of 89-52.

As a team, the Bears collected 29 offensive rebounds which led to 22 second chance points. Wellesley was efficient from three-point land, going 4-of-10 (40.0%) as a unit. The Blue also assisted on 11 of 20 made field goals. In total, Coast Guard outrebounded the Blue 66-33.  

Wellesley is back in action on Wednesday, January 19 at NEWMAC opponent Mount Holyoke. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Coast Guard will remain on the road for a meeting with Mitchell College on Monday, January 17 at 1:00 PM.