United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Men's Basketball - Bears Snap Losing Streak; Win NEWMAC Opener

WORCESTER, MASS.--(1/6/10)--Junior Jevon James and freshman Greg Marshall each had 14 points leading Coast Guard to a 61-46 win over Clark in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both teams. Coast Guard (4-6, 1-0) snaps a five-game losing streak with the win.

Clark, who entered the game as the NEWMAC leader in both three-point percentage and three-pointers made per game, missed its first 12 triple tries en route to a 2-for-22 performance from behind the arc.

The Cougars shot 28 percent (16-for-63), while the Bears connected on 46 percent of their attempts and forced 19 Clark turnovers.

Coast Guard got a huge boost from its bench, outscoring the Clark reserves 27-6 with most of that damage coming from Marshall who scored his 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting.

Junior Adam Radtke kickstarted the Coast Guard offense early on as he dropped in three three-pointers in the opening stanza, including a pair in the first ten minutes of the contest.

A low-scoring first half saw the Bears take a 27-18 halftime edge, but Clark rallied to cut the lead down to five at 34-29 following a three-pointer from Brian Vayda with 12:27 remaining.

Coast Guard responded with an 8-0 burst punctuated by a Stefan Lewis steal and breakaway finish, upping the Bear advantage to 42-29.

The Cougars never got closer than ten again as the lead eventually ballooned to as many as 18 as Coast Guard made enough free throws (9-for-14) to keep Clark at bay.

Clark did hold a sizeable edge on the glass, outrebounding the Bears 44-33, corralling a season-best 20 offensive boards helping them hold a 15-0 edge in second chance points.

James also led the Bears with seven boards and three blocks.

Vayda led the Cougar offense with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Mark Alexander chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.