United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Men's Basketball - Bears Rally From 18 Point Deficit, Fall in OT

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(1/14/08)--Connecticut College outscored Coast Guard 11-2 in the final 4:45 of overtime after the Camels squandered an 18-point second half lead and host Conn. College ran its winning streak to four straight with a thrilling 53-46 overtime win over Coast Guard in a non-conference game between the two New London rivals. The win snapped the Camels three-game losing streak in the series against the Bears.

Coast Guard senior Jeff Prebeck sent the game to overtime with an offensive rebound and putback with two seconds left capping a 9-0 run by the Bears.

Junior Billy Karis hit a 3-pointer with 3:49 left as the Camels led 42-33 before Coast Guard scored the final nine points in regulation including Prebeck’s offensive rebound and putback with two seconds left. Prebeck scored the first five points of the nine point run on back-to-back baskets and a free throw and Craig Johnson’s basket cut the lead to 42-40 with 1:49 left. Prebeck, who led Coast Guard with 17 points and 11 rebounds, became the Bears’ all-time leading scorer with his basket with 2:56 remaining. Prebeck now has 1,406 career points breaking the previous mark of 1,402 held by Mark Harris (’96).

Coast Guard (9-3) took its only lead of the game on a basket by senior Craig Johnson 15 seconds into overtime before the Camels ran off 11 of the game’s final 13 points.

Sophomore Shavar Bernier knocked down three straight 3-point baskets in the first four minutes of the second half, the third one giving the Camels, their largest lead of the game, 35-17 lead with 16:01 left in the game.

Coast Guard responded and climbed back with nine straight points capped by an Al Sowers 3-pointer with 13:06 left, making the score 35-26. Sowers had seven of the nine points in the run, his first seven points of the game. The Bears outscored the Camels 15-2 to make the score 37-32 with 8:11 remaining.

Conn. College (11-2) held Coast Guard to a season-low 13 first half points as the Bears were ice cold from the floor, making just five of 24 shots (20.8 percent) while Conn. College hit 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from the floor in the opening stanza. The Bears previous low for points in a half this season was 25 in the first half of a 71-62 loss to WPI five days ago.

The Camels made just one of its first seven 3-point baskets before senior Christian Mosley and junior Billy Karis hit back-to-back treys to give the Camels its largest lead of the game 24-11 with 33 seconds left in the half before Coast Guard senior Grant Johnson closed the scoring with on a jumper with three seconds left.

Coast Guard, which has now dropped three straight after opening the season with nine straight wins, was much better from the field, shooting 54.5 percent (12-22) in the second half.

Craig Johnson was also in double figures for the Bears as he finished with 13 points.

Bernier led Conn. College with 13 points while Charles Stone had 12 and Christian Mosley 11 points.