Men's hoops narrowly falls to Coast Guard in NEWMAC game

February 14, 2006

NORTON, MA- Sophomore Craig Johnson's (Medford, OR/South Medford) offensive rebound and put-back with 6.8 seconds remaining lifted the United States Coast Guard Academy past Wheaton College, 75-73 in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball affair Tuesday evening at Emerson Gymnasium. The Lyons fell to 14-9 overall and 5-6 in the conference, while Coast Guard is 16-6 and 7-4.

Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) put the Lyons on the board first, converting senior Sean Kelly's (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) assist into a three-pointer at 18:59, but Coast Guard sophomore Al Sowers (Monrovia, MD/Saint John's at Prospect Hall) responded by netting nine of Coast Guard's first 10 points on a trio of three-pointers, the last of which gave the Bears a 10-5 lead at 16:12. However, senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) knocked down a long-range shot before Kelly converted a three-point play for an 11-10 lead, and Zukowski culminated the sixth lead change of the game with a lay-up at 13:03 for a 13-12 lead.

Kelly nailed a three for Wheaton's largest first-half lead, 29-21 before Sowers sparked a 13-2 comeback with a pair of long-range hoops, the second giving the Bears a 34-31 advantage at 3:14. Wheaton freshman Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) was key for the Lyons right before halftime, hitting a jumper, picking off a pass that turned into a hoop and then assisting sophomore Jake Otto's (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) jumper that gave Wheaton a 37-36 edge at intermission. Despite Coast Guard holding the largest rebounding differential among all NCAA institutions (12.8), Wheaton hung tough on the boards, and each team corralled 17 first-half caroms. The Lyons shot 50 percent, going 15-of-30. Sowers went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc for 15 points, while Zukowski countered with 12.

After three early second-half ties, Coast Guard dug out of a one-point hole and tallied eight straight points before eventually leading, 59-51 by hitting 10-of-11 shots over a 8:39 span. Kelly came up big during Wheaton's comeback effort, collecting four points, an assist and a steal, with the senior point guard making a clean strip and sinking a breakaway lay-up during the go-ahead sequence, which capped a 9-0 run and gave the Lyons a 60-59 lead. Kelly stayed hot down the stretch, at one point playing a hand in 11 straight Wheaton points, by hitting a go-ahead three at 6:30, assisting on Zukowski's game-tying jumper at 5:24 and draining a long-range shot with 32 seconds remaining to knot the score. However, after a Coast Guard miss with less than 10 ticks to go, Johnson grabbed the board and made a bucket. Wheaton's final two attempts were off the mark, with a shot at the buzzer hitting back rim.

The Lyons shot well from the floor, knocking down 29-of-57 shots for 50.9 percent, including 9-of-19 three-pointers. Zukowski led Wheaton's charge with 22 points, four three-pointers and four assists. Kelly turned in a strong all-around effort with 19 points by going 7-of-10 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, while contributing five rebounds, four steals, and seven assists to just two turnovers. Sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) added 14 points, while Greenslit turned in 10 points.

Coast Guard shot 52.9 percent but turned in a 71.4 percent effort in the second half, knocking down 15-of-21 shots. The Bears hit 11 three-pointers for the game on 25 attempts. Johnson nearly recorded a triple-double thanks to 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds and seven assists. Sowers went 7-of-11 from long range for 25 points, while sophomore Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, IN/Naval Academy Prep) contributed nine boards. After edging out the Lyons by 29 boards during their last meeting, the Bears narrowly held a 28-27 rebounding advantage.

Wheaton finishes its regular season schedule at home Saturday versus Babson College at 3:00 p.m. With a win, the Lyons will host Springfield College in the opening round of the NEWMAC Tournament next Tuesday.

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