Coast Guard Pulls Away Late vs. MBB

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team held off a second-half charge from Mitchell College to post a 91-82 victory on Wednesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Bears (4-2 overall) led by 13 at halftime but saw the Mariners whittle the margin down and take their first lead with just over eight minutes remaining. Kevin Alvarez eventually put Coast Guard back on top for good with a jumper with 4:21 to go, pouring in 23 of his team- and career-high 30 points in the second half. 

Mitchell forward Parris Hill led all scorers with a career-high 40 points and added 10 rebounds and three steals. He netted 29 points in the second half and shot 16-for-18 from the foul line for the game. Hill becomes the fourth player in Division III to score 40 or more points in a game this season and is the first Mitchell player to do so since Joshua Ford in 2013.

The lead changed hands six times in the final 8:21. Mitchell took its first lead of the night when Hill made a steal on the sideline and raced up the court for a lay-up. Alvarez immediately answered on the other end with a jumper, and neither side led by more than three until another bucket by Alvarez put the Bears ahead 74-70 with 3:49 to play.

The biggest play of the contest came in the final 80 seconds. A pair of free throws by Hill pulled the Mariners to within three at 79-76, but Adrian Chuquillangui responded with a corner three and was fouled on the shot. His free throw completed the four-point play and put the Bears ahead by seven at 83-76.

Coast Guard closed out the win by going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in the final 53 seconds. David Anderson finished with 26 points and nine rebounds and shot 12-for-17 from the line, and Darius Adams was a perfect 5-for-5 en route to 11 points.

After playing only eight minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Alvarez made up for it by going 10-for-11 from the floor in the second stanza. Anderson carried the scoring load for the Bears in the opening half with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting.

Devonta Mosley had a solid game off the bench for the Mariners, finishing with a season-high 17 points while contributing four rebounds and three steals. Frank Martin chipped in with nine points while Donavan McClean added eight.

Mitchell (1-3 overall) will next host Elms College on Saturday, December 6 at 3:30 p.m. Coast Guard is slated to host Worcester State University in the opening round of the Camel/Cadet Classic on Saturday at 6 p.m.