Courtesy Trinity Sports Information

Box Score

HARTFORD, Conn. - Senior tri-captain forward Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, Ind.) recorded game-highs of 24 points, making 10 out of 14 shots from the field, and 10 rebounds to lead the visiting United States Coast Guard Academy Bears to a 70-65 win over the Trinity College Bantams in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament this evening at Oosting Gymnasium.

Coast Guard sets a new school record for wins with 22 against six losses with its 11th win in a row and advances to the NCAA Second Round at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. Trinity, ranked No. 24 in the nation, closes its season with a 21-7 mark.

The win is the first for Coast Guard in the NCAA Tourney since a 1979 consolation round game (2-2 all-time in the tournament) and its first against the Bantams since 1995 covering a span of 11 games. Coast Guard will be making its first appearance in the NCAA Second Round. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for myself and the academy”, said Coast Guard Head Coach Pete Barry.

Coast Guard scored eight of the games final 12 points over the last four minutes, including four clutch free throws down the stretch by junior forward Craig Johnson (Medford, Oregon), after Trinity had cut a 57-44 Bear lead to one at 62-61 on a three-pointer from the top of the key by freshman guard Brian Ford (Bronx, N.Y.).

Trinity had two chances to take the lead following Ford’s trey but the ball rimmed out on a pair of contested lay-ups by senior tri-captain forward Robert Taylor (Dorchester Center, Mass.) and Ford. Ford had stolen the ball in the Coast Guard backcourt but his miss on the fastbreak lay-up was rebounded by Coast Guard sophomore guard Eric Hudson (Pasadena, Calif.). Hudson was fouled on the board and made both free throws to put the Bears up by three at 64-61 with a little over two minutes on the clock.

After a missed three-pointer by the Bantams, Prebeck scored on a lay-up to increase the Bear advantage to five points, but a drive by Trinity junior guard Paul Rowe (Brooklyn, N.Y.) cut the lead back to three on Trinity’s next possession at 66-63. After two free throws by Johnson and a put-back by Trinity senior tri-captain center Russ Martin (East Longmeadow, Mass.), the Bantams had a chance to tie with a three-pointer in the final minute but tough perimeter defense by the Bears contributed to a contested Bantam shot that hit the rim and the backboard before dropping off to the side.

In the first half, Trinity stormed out to a 9-0 lead on two treys by senior guard Patrick Hasiuk (Enfield, Conn.) and a third by Taylor, and the Bantams led, 19-8, on a lay-up by senior center Steve Dunn (Garwood, N.J.) almost six minutes into the game. Coast Guard rallied to score the next 12 points to take a 20-19 lead on a jumper by senior tri-captain guard Al Sowers (Monrovia, Md.), and the Bears took a 29-26 lead into the break. Prebeck led all scorers at intermission with 10 points and Trinity missed all seven of its three-point tries after the first three minutes and shot 36.7 percent from the field in the first half.

Trinity opened the second half with a three-pointer by Taylor to tie the score at 29-29 and led briefly early in the stanza, but a lay-up by Sowers with just under 17 minutes on the clock gave the Bears a 35-34 lead and Trinity never took the lead back. A steal by Dunn and fastbreak dunk by Rowe knotted the game at 44-44 at the 13-minute mark, but Coast Guard responded with a 13-0 run that gave them a 57-44 advantage with eight minutes left to play.

Coast Guard shot 58.3 percent from the field in the second half (14-24) and 52.9 percent for the game (27-51), while outrebounding Trinity, 36-29. Coast Guard freshman forward Jevon James (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands) came off the bench to total eight points and seven rebounds, while Johnson and senior tri-captain guard Grant Johnson (Grayson, Ga.) each dished out five assists for the Bears. Rowe paced Trinity with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Taylor had 18 points and two blocked shots, and Martin added 10 points.

“I was disappointed we went down by 13, but I was confident we’d come back. They are a good team, they played efficiently, to their strengths and were well coached. We knew they were a good team coming in and we know they are now,” said Trinity Head Coach Stan Ogrodnik. “I’d say good enough to go somewhere in this tournament.”