New London, Conn. - January 15, 2015 - Benefitting from impressive performances by sophomore center Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass.) and junior forward Emily Gins (Fort Myers, Fla.), the Springfield College women's basketball program edged the Coast Guard Academy, 55-50, on Thursday evening in New London.

With the win, the Pride improve to 10-5 overall and 6-1 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), while Coast Guard snapped its three-game win streak and falls to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Springfield shot 21-for-51 (41.2%) from the field, while the Bears were held to just 17-of-61 (27.9%) on the evening. 

Adamopoulos was a force in the post for the Pride, posting 15 points and eight rebounds, while Gins added 17 points and six boards. Senior forward Jaimie Bickelhaupt (Brookfield, Conn.) posted her eighth double-double of the season and 25th of her career, registering 10 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. As a team, the Pride captured a season-high 46 rebounds, while Bickelhaupt's 11 was a game-high. 

The Bears led 14-13 after a basket by Dani Knox (Centreville, Va.) with 10:25 to go in first half, but Coast Guard would make just one more field goal in the half as Springfield used a 12-2 run to end the half taking a 32-20 lead at the break.

The Pride led by as many as 14 in the second half and held an eight-point lead with 7:59 left before the Bears used an 8-2 run capped off by a three-pointer by senior Alexi Howland (Latham, N.Y.) with 5:34 remaining to cut the Pride's lead to two.

Gins made back-to-back layups with senior Andrea Moschetta (Harrison, N.Y.) assisting on both baskets as the Pride turned a 47-44 lead into a 51-44 advantage with 2:43 left in the game. Sophomore Tori Sutherland (Houston, Texas) pulled the Bears to within four at 52-48 with 21 seconds left before Bickelhaupt's layup with ten seconds left iced the victory for the Pride.

The Pride will play its third of three conference games on Saturday when it will travel to Wellesley for a 5 p.m. tilt.