United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Men's Basketball - Prebeck Leads Bears Back to Championship Game

WORCESTER, MASS.--(3/1/08)--Coast Guard’s all-time leading scorer Jeff Prebeck had a season-high 26 points while junior Craig Johnson added 23 points as third-seeded and defending New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament champion Coast Guard won its ninth straight and advanced to the championship game with a 68-56 win over seventh-seeded Wheaton in the NEWMAC Tournament semifinals at WPI.

Prebeck, who was held scoreless for the first time in his career in the Bears first round win over MIT on Wednesday, and Coast Guard will take on top-seeded WPI in the championship game on Sunday at noon. WPI beat fourth-seeded Babson 60-59 in the first semifinal of the day.

Coast Guard (20-6), which trailed by as many as 12 in the second half, used a 23-3 run in a span of just under 10 minutes to take control of the game.

Wheaton led 45-34 on a basket by junior Nick Michel with 13:13 left in the game when the Bears scored 15 straight for a 49-45 lead with 7:01 left. The Bears took the lead for good on an old fashion 3-point play by Prebeck with 7:43 left for a 47-45 lead.

The Bears, who had missed 15 consecutive 3-pointers, put the game on ice on a 3-pointer by senior Al Sowers with 3:32 left for a 57-48 lead. The Bears had just two 3-point baskets in the game (2-17).

Coast Guard had taken its largest lead of the first half at 26-22 when Craig Johnson sank two free throws with 4:57 left, however, Wheaton, which shot 53.6 percent in the first half (15-28), scored the final 14 points of the first half turning a 26-22 deficit with 4:57 left into a 36-26 lead at halftime.

The Lyons hit four of nine from 3-point range in the first half. Freshman Ryan Sasso led Wheaton with 11 first half points.

Coast Guard was just 9 of 28 from the floor (32.1 percent) while hitting just one of eight from 3-point range in the first half. The one made 3-pointer was by sophomore Stefan Lewis, the first basket of the game. Senior Jeff Prebeck led the Bears with 10 first half points. The Bears starting guard combination of seniors Al Sowers and Grant Johnson were both held scoreless in the first half as they were a combined 0 for 7 from the field and 0 for 5 from 3-point range.

The Bears were just as hot as Wheaton was in the first half as they shot 53.8 percent (14-26) in the final 20 minutes despite hitting just one of nine from 3-point range in the second half.