United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Men's Basketball - Bears Win 8th Straight; Beat Merchant Marine

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(12/8/07)--Senior Al Sowers tied a season-high with 26 points and Coast Guard shot 75 percent from the floor in the second half while using an 18-2 spurt to remain unbeaten with an 83-66 win over Merchant Marine in a non-conference game.

The Bears were 12 for 16 from the floor and six-of-nine from three-point range in the second half.

Coast Guard (8-0) led 43-42 with 12:50 left in the game when the Bears used an 18-2 run to take control, leading 61-44 with 8:05 left. Senior Grant Johnson had a pair of three-pointers in the run while Sowers had the final five points of the spurt.

Merchant Marine (0-6), which had to wear Coast Guard’s road uniforms because they forgot their own uniforms, held the Bears without a field goal for the final 6:04 of the first half as they outscored the Bears 12-3 in that span. Coast Guard which led by as many as 10, took a 35-34 lead into the half.

Sowers, who was 8 for 10 from the floor and 5 for 7 from three-point range in the game, moved into second place on the Coast Guard all-time three-pointers list passing Jed Boba (‘96), who had 212 career treys. Sowers now has 215 in his career.

Grant Johnson finished with 15 points and tied a career-high with seven assists while Craig Johson had 12 points and nine rebounds as Coast Guard ran its win streak to eight to complete the first semester.

Coast Guard shot 58.1 percent from the floor (25-43) and 45.5 percent from three-point range (10-22).
Freshman Tom Izzo, sophomore Chad Ray and sophomore Ryan Samuel each had 11 points to lead Merchant Marine while junior Pat Grace and sophomore Max Paul each had 10 points for the Mariners, who remain winless.