HomeBasketball (M) Men's Basketball - Senior Guards Lead Bears to 7th Straight Win
Men's Basketball - Senior Guards Lead Bears to 7th Straight Win
Grant Johnson led all scorers with 22 points as the Bears won their seventh straight. (photo by Jeff Bartlett)
SPRINGFIELD, MASS.--(2/23/08)--Senior Grant Johnson had a season-high 22 points while classmate Al Sowers had 14 of his 20 points in the first half as Coast Guard won its seventh straight and earned a home game in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament with a 69-61 win over Springfield in the regular season finale for both teams.
Coast Guard (18-6, 7-5), the defending NEWMAC tournament champions, will be the third-seed and host sixth-seeded MIT in the NEWMAC tournament on Wednesday night at a time be determined.
The Bears were red hot in the early going as they jumped out to a 16-2 lead with 10:26 left behind a pair of 3-pointers each by Sowers and Grant Johnson. Coast Guard led 28-19 at halftime as Sowers hit his fourth 3-pointer of the half in the final minute. Sowers connected on 4 of 6 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, Springfield trailed 42-36 with 8:37 left when the Bears scored seven straight as they sandwiched a sophomore Stefan Lewis 3-pointer between a pair of baskets by senior Steve Blum to give Coast Guard a 49-36 lead with 7:04 left in the game.
Junior Craig Johnson led Coast Guard with 11 rebounds while senior Jeff Prebeck added 10 rebounds.
Pat Crean led Springfield (10-14, 5-7) with 16 points while Gregg Daly added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Coast Guard shot 40.4 percent from the floor (21-52) and and 47.6 percent from 3-point range (10-21) while the Pride shot 37.5 percent from the floor (24-64) while making five of 20 from 3-point range.
