Coast Guard freshman Craig Johnson (Medford, OR/South Medford) began the first frame with a lay up to put the Bears on top 2-0, but senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) was quick to answer, knocking down one of his four three-point field goals of the half to put Wheaton in front, 3-2. Tied at 10 minutes later, the Blue and White used an 8-0 run highlighted by two more Stanton treys to make the score 18-10. However, Coast Guard responded with 10 unanswered points on the strength of threes by freshmen Al Sowers (Monrovia, MD/St. John's School at Prospect Hall) and Grant Johnson (Grayson, GA/Parkview) midway through the half.
The Lyons reclaimed the advantage on a three-point play by senior tri-captain Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) and later closed out the half with a strong 10-2 run to send the Bears into the locker room with a 41-34 deficit at the half. Both squads shot above 50 percent from behind the three-point arc in the stanza, with Stanton and junior point guard Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) combining for a 7-of-10 showing (.700) for Wheaton. The hosts finished the game with 14 three-pointers, which ties for the second-most three-pointers made in school history set on March 6, 1993 against Babson.
Sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) helped give the Lyons a 10-point lead early in the second half, countering a Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, IN/Columbus East/NAPS) jumper with a lay up and three on consecutive possessions. Back-to-back field goals by Prebeck and junior tri-captain Dan Sheppard (El Cajon, CA/Valhalla) cut the advantage to six, but five straight Wheaton points placed Coast Guard back in an 11-point hole. Trailing 55-45 at 12:38, Bears' sophomore Ryan Ball (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) notched a three to make the score 55-48, but the Blue and White used the next seven minutes to stretch their lead to as many as 16. Coast Guard narrowed its deficit down to six with 3:10 on the clock, using a 10-0 run to put the Lyons on their heels, but Wheaton reeled off six straight points to put the game out of reach.
Zukowski and Kelly led the Lyons with 19 points apiece, as Zukowski recorded a career-high tying five three-pointers. Kelly narrowly missed a double-double performance, contributing nine assists while shooting 8-of-11 (.727) from the field. Stanton also tied a career-high in threes with six makes from long range, totaling 18 points and a team-high six rebounds. Vega rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points on the afternoon.
Prebeck recorded a career day for the Bears, leading all players with a season-best 24 points (9-16 FG) and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Ball's 5-of-8 (.625) finish from three-point territory gave him 15 points. Sowers posted 11 points and seven rebounds, while Johnson added seven assists.
The Lyons will take a break from NEWMAC action on Tuesday, January 18 with a non-conference game against Tufts University in Emerson. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Coast Guard Academy vs Wheaton College 1/15/05 2:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 82, COAST GUARD ACADEMY 70 COAST GUARD ACADEMY (6-6, 0-3) Jeff Prebeck 9-16 5-5 24; Ryan Ball 5-11 0-0 15; Al Sowers 3-8 2-2 11; Grant Johnson 3-9 0-0 8; Dan Sheppard 2-5 0-0 4; Craig Johnson 2-5 0-0 4; Rob Foos 1-1 0-0 2; Kevin Edes 1-4 0-0 2; H.B. Baker 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 7-7 70. WHEATON COLLEGE (11-2, 4-0) Sean Kelly 8-11 0-1 19; Brian Zukowski 6-11 2-2 19; Mike Stanton 6-16 0-0 18; Josean Vega 4-8 4-6 12; Brent DiGiovanna 2-6 4-4 8; Eric Johnston 1-3 2-2 4; Mark Ledwell 1-4 0-2 2; David Harding 0-0 0-0 0; Jake Otto 0-0 0-0 0; Justin Brown 0-0 0-0 0; James Greenslit 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 12-17 82. Coast Guard Academy........... 34 36 - 70 Wheaton College............... 41 41 - 82 3-point goals-Coast Guard Academy 11-25 (Ryan Ball 5-8; Al Sowers 3-6; Grant Johnson 2-7; Jeff Prebeck 1-3; H.B. Baker 0-1), Wheaton College 14-26 (Mike Stanton 6-11; Brian Zukowski 5-8; Sean Kelly 3-5; James Greenslit 0-1; Josean Vega 0-1). Fouled out--Coast Guard Academy-None, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Coast Guard Academy 39 (Jeff Prebeck 13), Wheaton College 32 (Mike Stanton 6). Assists-Coast Guard Academy 17 (Grant Johnson 7), Wheaton College 19 (Sean Kelly 9). Total fouls-Coast Guard Academy 17, Wheaton College 12. A-185