Leading the way for Johnson & Wales was newcomer Robert Griffin (Providence, R.I.) who tallied a game-high 28 points and added seven rebounds and six assists. Junior Conor Moran (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) recorded a double-double for the Wildcats with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while junior Brian Fernandes (Fall River, Mass.) was also in double figures for the Wildcats with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. The Wildcats shot 43.5% from the field, including 52.9% in the second half while holding the Bears to 38.2% shooting from the field.
Coast Guard has two players tally double-doubles as freshman Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, Ind.) scored 12 points and pull down a game-high 13 rebounds while junior Dan Sheppard (El Cajon, Calif.) notched 11 points, 10 boards and three blocks. Freshman Al Sowers (Monrovia, Md.) scored 16 points and added six rebounds for the Bears while freshman Craig Johnson (Medford, Ore.) added 17 points and seven boards in the setback.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the first half with five lead changes before Johnson & Wales took a 28-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Coast Guard held a 36-35 lead after a layup from Dan Sheppard before JWU used a 9-0 run, including seven points by Griffin, to take a 44-36 lead with 14:27 left in the game. The Wildcats led by nine points on several occasions in the second half, including a 64-55 advantage with 6:39 left after a jumper by Brian Bannister (Boston, Mass.).
Coast Guard cut the lead to four on a jumper by Sheppard to make the score 70-66 with 1:31 left on the clock. That would be as close as the Bears would get, however as Johnson & Wales was able to hang on for the 76-70 victory.