United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Men's Basketball - Bears Advance NEWMAC Championship game for first time

WORCESTER, MASS.—(2/24/07)— Al Sowers scored the game winning basket breaking a 60-60 tie with 24.7 seconds left as Coast Guard becomes the first 7th seed to advance to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship game as the Bears beat sixth-seeded Wheaton 62-60 in the semifinals. Coast Guard will make its first trip to the NEWMAC championship game and take on top-seed and host WPI in the championship game on Sunday at noon.

Wheaton’s David Harding missed a pair of free throws with 53 seconds left before Sowers hit the game winner. Brent DiGiovanna had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but his shot in the lane missed and Coast Guard’s Ryan Burgess secured the rebound and the win.

Coast Guard led 29-23 at halftime. Both teams struggled from three-point range in the first half as the Bears were 1-8 while the Lyons were 3-11.

Wheaton used a 9-0 spurt turning a 33-28 deficit with 17:14 left into a 37-33 lead with 14:49 left.

Grant Johnson, who had a career-high 33 points and a school-record nine three-pointers in the first round win over Babson, had his first points of the game, a three-pointer with 13:33 left to tie the game at 37-37 keying a 12-1 Coast Guard spurt in which Johnson had six points giving the Bears a 45-38 lead with 11 minutes left.

Wheaton (11-15) quickly responded with seven straight to tie the game at 45-45 with 10:10 left before Burgess had back-to-back hoops for Coast Guard as the Bears scored the next six points for a 51-45 lead with 8:35 left in the game.

Mark Sullivan hit a three-pointer and then a lay up cutting the Bears lead to 51-50 with 7:10 left. Brian Zukowski tied the game 60-60 with a pair of free throws with 2:24 left.

In the first half, Kristopher Pedra made back-to-back three pointers giving Wheaton an 8-6 lead with 14:48 left in the first half before Jeff Prebeck and Steve Blum combined to score the next 13 points for the Bears as Coast Guard outscored Wheaton 13-2 to take a 19-10 lead with 10:42 left in the first half. The game was tied 10-10 when Prebeck scored back-to-back baskets to start a 9-0 run by the Bears.

The Coast Guard front court of Prebeck, Blum and Ryan Burgess dominated play in the first half as they accounted for 23 of the Bears 29 points. Coast Guard also dominated the boards in the first half as the outrebounded Wheaton 21-12 including 11 offensive rebounds. The Bears outscored the Lyons 18-8 in the paint and 11-0 on second chance points in the first 20 minutes.

Prebeck led Coast Guard (13-13) with 20 points and 15 rebounds while Johnson, Burgess and Blum each finished with 10 points.

Pedra and Zukowski led Wheaton, the two-time defending ECAC champions, with 10 points each. Zukowski led the Lyons with four rebounds.

Coast Guard has been the NCAA Tournament just once in the 1978-1979 season. The winner of the NEWMAC championship game will get an automatic bid to the tournament.