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

BOSTON, MASS.--(12/7/06)--– Sophomore guard Todd Doyle scored 23 points – including shooting a perfect 5-for-5 in the second half – as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men’s basketball team held off a late charge by Coast Guard and posted its first win over the Bears since the 2000-01 season with a 58-56 triumph at Suffolk University’s Reagan Gymnasium.

The Leopards would lead from wire-to-wire in this one, jumping out to a 12-5 lead over the course of the first 6:50 of the contest. Coast Guard would outscore Wentworth by a 9-4 margin, capped off by a jumper by freshman guard Eric Hudson, to trim the lead to 16-14 just under eight minutes remaining. That basket would be the last one for the Bears in the first half, as the Leopards outscored the visitors11-0 to take a 27-14 lead at the half, when sophomore forward Gil Ward nailed a buzzer-beater. Doyle and senior forward Bryan Gaine combined to score Wentworth’s first 19 points, while a stingy defense held Coast Guard to just 6-for-29 (.207) shooting from the floor.

A back-and-forth beginning to the second half saw the Bears cut the lead from 15-11, but baskets by Gaine and Doyle gave the Leopards their largest lead of the night (17) with 15:33 remaining. However, Coast Guard would not go quietly, outscoring the hosts 14-7 over the next 6:06 to cut the lead to 46-36. Junior guard Al Sowers and junior forward Steve Blum each had four points during the spurt. A Doyle trifecta with 9:12 left upped the lead back to 13 before the Bears used an 8-0 run over the next 3:45, capped off by a three-pointer from junior guard Grant Johnson, to cut the lead to 49-44.

Freshman forward Shane West scored Wentworth’s next basket to give the Leopards a 51-44 lead, but Coast Guard quickly answered with a Sowers three-pointer with 3:31 left. With the lead fluctuating between four and six, Gaine buried a jumper to give Wentworth a 57-49 lead with 1:37 left. On the Bears’ next possession, Sowers hit another long-range shot to bring the lead down to five with 1:22 left.

One of two free throws from junior guard Ed Bolton gave the Leopards a 58-52 lead with 57 ticks left. Junior forward Jeff Prebeck hit the second of two free throws to bring the lead back within five with 48 seconds left. On the next possession, Doyle missed the front end of a one-and-one and Johnson would bury a three from the top of the key on Coast Guard’s third offensive rebound of the possession.

With 22 seconds left, Wentworth would turn the ball over, giving the visitors one last chance to tie or win the game. After a timeout, Sowers would eventually get the ball with five seconds left and attempt to drive the lane. The ball was knocked away just before the buzzer sounded, giving Wentworth the win.

Doyle’s 23 points came on 10-for-13 shooting to go along with five assists and four steals. aine shot 6-for-9 from the floor for 14 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. West was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor for eight points, while junior guard Sherrad Prezzie-Blue scored six points, had five assists, and four steals.

For Coast Guard, Sowers scored 22 points to go along with six rebounds and five steals. Johnson chipped in with 11 points, three assists, and three steals, while Prebeck posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

With the win the Leopards snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 3-4 on the season. Wentworth closes out first semester play on Saturday at Rensselaer. Coast Guard dips to 5-2 and travels to Kings Point on Saturday.

Wentworth’s last win over Coast Guard came on Nov. 30 when the Leopards defeated the Bears, 61-53, to give head coach Tom Devitt, who was serving as the interim head coach that season, his first career win.