Women’s Basketball Devoured by the Bears in First Game of the New Year

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's basketball team was unable to keep pace with the Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday night in their first game of the new year, falling to their crosstown rivals 84-52 in a non-conference clash at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The two squads traded buckets across the first minute of action, before Coast Guard jumped ahead 7-4 on a three-pointer by Dorothy Stotts at the 8:41 mark. Julia Mann knocked down a three ball of her own 30 seconds later and the Bears were off and running from there, outscoring the Mariners 29-11 in the opening frame, which grew to a 46-24 advantage at the intermission.

Senior forward Yasmine Santos (Pawtucket. R.I.) recorded her eighth double-double in nine games this season, finishing with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Jamya Beddoe (New London, Conn.) was the only other Mitchell player to finish in double-figures scoring, netting a season-high 17 points, while senior Alexia Watson (Stamford, Conn.) chipped in five points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Mariners shot just 29.9% from the floor and were just 3-16 from downtown, while Coast Guard posted a 39.5% clip from the floor and knocked down 14 three-pointers, shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc. The Bears also were able to control the paint, using their size advantage to outrebound Mitchell 60-32, while handing out 29 assists as a team, to just six for the Mariners.

Dorothy Stotts paced the Bears with 17 points, and added five assists. Kira Wood filled the stat sheet to the tune on 16 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and two steals, while Kelly Hagerty pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, and Taylor Lynch contributed 11 of the 32 bench points scored by Coast Guard.

The Mariners (2-7, 0-1 GNAC) will return to conference play on Saturday, January 6, when they travel to face Johnson & Wales University at 1:00 pm. The Bears (10-2, 0-0 NEWMAC) jump right back into action on Thursday, January 4, hosting Colby-Sawyer College in a non-conference game at 1:00 pm.