Springfield, Mass. - February 10, 2016 - Sophomore forward Heather King (Lebanon, N.H.) and freshman guard Chelsea McAllister (Springfield, Vt.) both reached double digits in the scoring column, but the Springfield College women's basketball program fell to Coast Guard, 61-47, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Wednesday evening in Blake Arena.

With the loss, Springfield falls to 13-9 overall, and 7-6 in NEWMAC play, while Coast Guard is now 12-9 overall and 9-4 in the league play. Springfield shot 17-for-59 (28.8%) from the floor in the contest, while the Bears were 21-of-54 (38.9%) in the victory. Coast Guard also held a 45-39 advantage on the glass over 40 minutes of play.

King registered 12 points to go along with eight rebounds, shooting 6-8 from the floor, while McAllister chipped in 10 points of her own. Additionally, junior guard Molly McCausland grabbed seven rebounds and two steals, while Emily Gins (Fort Myers, Fla.) notched six points and three boards in the loss..  

For Coast Guard, senior guard Meghan Fornaro (Charlton, Mass.) posted a game-high 16 points and added six rebounds, while classmate Torie Sutherland (Houston, Texas) and freshman guard Shelby Threlkeld (Buford, Ga.) scored 13 apiece. Jayla Joyner (Charlotte, N.C.) ended with a game-high nine rebounds and seven points. 

The Bears jumped out to an early 9-2 lead over the Pride with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter, before a three-pointer from sophomore guard Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass.) brought Springfield to within four. Coast Guard would keep its four-point lead following a free-throw from Fornaro, but a layup from the senior would stretch the Bears' lead to six at the end of one, leading Springfield, 14-8. 

Holding a 21-13 lead over the Pride just 3:09 into the second quarter, a jumper from King cut the Pride's deficit to six, before Coast Guard retained its eight-point lead following a lay-up from Sutherland with 4:45 left in the half. Springfield would cut its deficit back to seven following a free throw from Lewis, but the Bears would take a nine-point, 29-20, lead into the locker room.

Coast Guard extended its lead to 13 early in the third quarter to 13 with a layup from Sutherland,  but Springfield would then cut its deficit to 11 with a jumper from Gins. With 4:20 left to go, a jumper from Jill Bray (Glastonbury, Conn.) extended the Bears lead to 15, but the Pride responded with a steal and fast-break lay-up from Danielle Racette (North Adams, Mass.), bringing the score to 37-24, Coast Guard.

A layup from Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass.) with 1:33 left in the third quarter brought Springfield to within nine, but a basket from Gill Gerton (Lorton, Va.) and a jumper from Joyner with three seconds left in the stanza gave Coast Guard a 15-point advantage, 43-26, going into the fourth quarter. 

The Pride scratched back to within 11 following a free-throw from Christa Brent (Wilmington, Mass.), but then eight unanswered points, capped by a lay-up from Fornaro helped Coast Guard rebuild a 19-point lead with 5:14 left in the game. Springfield would get back to within 12 following a three-pointer from McAllister, but the Bears would seal the 61-47 win with a free-throw from Amanda Klawinski (New Kensington, Pa.).

Up next, Springfield will return to Blake Arena when it hosts MIT on Saturday, February 13 at 12 p.m.