02/11/2009
Men's Basketball Falls to Coast Guard, 79-59

NEW LONDON, CONN.- Clark University dropped its third straight game with a 79-59 loss to Coast Guard in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Wednesday.

Junior Mark Alexander led Clark with 16 points and seven rebounds while freshman Brian Vayda finished with 10 points.

Senior Craig Johnson had 26 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high seven assists, to become Coast Guard's all-time leading scorer. Jeff Prebeck, who graduated last season held the record with 1,614 points. Johnson, who was 11 for 14 from the field, finished the game with 1,636 points.

Coast Guard (10-11, 3-7) used a 17-2 run in the first half turning a 16-16 tie with 12:12 left into a 33-18 lead with 6:48 left in the half. The Bears shot 58.1 percent from the field in the first half (18 of 31) and led 42-26 at halftime.

Clark (10-13, 4-6) never got back in the game as the Bears led by as many as 24 on five different occasions and the Cougars got as close as 15 early in the second half.

Sophomore Jevon James registered his second straight double-double as he finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds while junior Eric Hudson added 12 points and four assists.

Coast Guard shot 57.1 percent from the field (32-56), its best since shooting 58.7 percent in a win over Colby Sawyer in the opening game of the season. The Bears were four for 15 from 3-point range.

Clark was 21 of 60 (35 percent) from the field while hitting four of 21 from behind the arc.

Courtesy of Coast Guard Sports Information