United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Women's Basketball

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.--(12/2/09)--Melissa Martinelli led all scorers with 18 points while Sabrina Taylor had 12 of her season-high 15 points in the second half leading Coast Guard to a 47-38 come-from-behind win over MIT in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season opener for both teams.

MIT (2-4, 0-1), which had its two-game win streak snapped, came out red hot knocking down four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes to take a 16-7 lead. The Engineers, who were just nine of 48 from 3-point range in the first five games of the season, would not make another 3-pointer in the game finishing four for 17 behind the arc.

Coast Guard (2-1, 1-0) responded with six straight cutting the deficit to 16-13 following a basket by Karli Collins with 8:31 left in the first half.

The Engineers would score just one field goal in the final 12 minutes of the half, a hoop which gave them a 21-15 lead. The Bears would score the final nine points of the half, taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Taylor, Coast Guard’s only 3-pointer of the half, for a 24-21 lead with two minutes left, the final points of the first half.

Coast Guard picked up right where it left off to start the second half as the Bears allowed MIT just one field goal in the first eight minutes and began the half with an 8-2 spurt as four different players scored giving the Bears a 32-23 lead.

Taylor knocked down a 3-pointer giving Coast Guard its largest lead of the half to that point at 35-25 with 14:43 left in the game. She had 12 points in the second half and finished with four 3-pointers after scoring just two points in the first two games of the season.

MIT cut the lead to 37-31 with 9:15 left, but the Bears used a 10-3 run, with seven of those points from Taylor, for a 47-34 lead.

Collins led the Bears with nine rebounds while Allison Majcher added seven boards as Coast Guard out rebounded MIT 43-35.

The Bears and Engineers began conference play in the first semester for the first time as the NEWMAC has changed the schedule and go with a double round robin format. Each team will now play 18 conference games as opposed to the 13 they had played in years past.