02/13/2008
Men's Basketball Drops Third Straight NEWMAC Game; Fall to Coast Guard, 75-70

WORCESTER, MASS. 02/13/08 - Coast Guard Academy used a balanced offense in a 75-70 victory over Clark University in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action at the Kneller Athletic Center on Wednesday evening.

Winners of three straight, Coast Guard (14-6, 5-5 NEWMAC) is tied for second in the conference standings with Clark. Clark, which dropped its third straight league game, falls to 10-12 (5-5 NEWMAC).

Four players scored in double-digits for the Bears. Junior Craig Johnson (Medford, Ore.) posted a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds, while seniors Al Sowers (Monrovia, Md.) had 14 points, Grant Johnson (Grayson, Ga.) added 13 points, including his 1,000th, and Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, Ind.) finished with 11 points. Johnson, who reached the milestone on a fast-break lay-up at the 5:24 mark of the second half, became the 18th player in school history and fourth on this team to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Clark was led by sophomore Mark Alexander (Providence, R.I.) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Chris Vitulano (Glen Ridge, N.J.) came off the bench to score 12 points and junior Peter Normandin (Westminster, Mass.) contributed 10 points. Senior Pat Ochoa (Springfield, Mass.) added five assists.

The two teams battled through the opening minutes of the game. The first six minutes featured four ties and neither team up by more than four until Coast Guard went on a 9-0 burst to take a 20-11 margin on Johnsons free throw at the 6:00 minute mark. However, Clark outscored the Bears, 11-6, over a 3:51 stretch to narrow the gap (22-26). Brinn hit a three and Landers drained a pair of treys during the run. CGA, which shot 50.0% from the field in the half, scored six of the final nine points to take a 32-25 halftime advantage.

Clark scored the first five points in the second half to bring the game within two (30-32) and later took its first lead (47-46) since the opening minutes on Byron Roberts' (New Haven, Conn.) three-pointer at the 11:41 mark. The visitors pulled away from the Cougars on the way to building a commanding 16-point margin (68-52) on a three-ball from Sowers with 4:48 remaining.

However, Vitulano came off the bench to give the Cougars a much-needed offensive boost. The rookie guard went to work as he scored 10 of the next 12 Clark points, including a string of six straight and added a steal, to make it a five point game (64-69) with 1:30 left to play. Clark held the visitors without a field goal down the stretch, but Coast Guard finished 6-of-10 from the charity stripe to seal the victory.

Clark will travel to MIT next Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tilt. Coast Guard will entertain Babson College on Saturday (1 p.m.).