Coast Guard Defeats Engineers, 47-38
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In the New England
Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC)
women’s basketball opener for both teams, the U.S. Coast
Guard Academy defeated host MIT, 47-38, on Wednesday night. Melissa
Martinelli registered a game-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting
from the floor to go along with six rebounds and two blocks for the
Bears (2-1, 1-0 NEWMAC). Anna Merrifield had a solid outing for the
Engineers (2-4, 0-1 NEWMAC) as she compiled 10 rebounds, five
points, and four blocks.
MIT’s Aparna Sud opened the scoring with a three-pointer
which was followed by a pair of baskets by Martinelli. The Cardinal
and Gray responded with a 9-3 spurt, capped on back-to-back treys
from Sally Simpson, to establish a 16-7 advantage at the 12:26
mark. Coast Guard slowly chipped away at the deficit as a
three-pointer from Sabrina Taylor put the visitors ahead, 24-21,
with 2:06 left before the break. The Bears maintained the slim lead
into the intermission.
Coast Guard mounted an 11-4 run during the first five minutes of
the second stanza which resulted in its first double-digit lead of
the night. The Engineers continued to attack, trimming their
deficit to six on three occasions, the last at 38-32 with 6:16 left
to play. During the next four minutes, the Bears registered nine
out of the next 11 points to open up their largest margin of the
game (47-34). Layups by MIT’s Kristen Whaley and Lauren
Sascha Burton during the final minute of play set up the final
score.
Simpson posted a team-high 12 points in addition to five rebounds
as Whaley totaled nine rebounds, eight points, and three steals.
Burton finished with eight points and three assists for the
Engineers.
Taylor totaled 15 points, including a quartet of baskets from
behind the arc. Karli Collins recorded nine points and two assists
while Allison Majcher notched seven rebounds and two blocks.
Vanessa Sillman bolstered the Bears’ defense with a team-high
two steals.
Both squads will continue conference play at home on Saturday, Dec.
5. MIT will take on Springfield College while Coast Guard will host
Wheaton College.
