Lyons fall to 4-7 in NEWMAC play 

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College women's basketball team dropped a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) matchup to Coast Guard Academy by a score of 48-41 on Wednesday night in Emerson Gymnasium. 

Sophomore Abbie Brickley (Sandy, Utah/Skyline) had a team-high seven points and four rebounds. Freshman forward Kiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) collected six points, seven boards and one assist. Senior guard Hallie Vitagliano (Newton, Mass./Newton North) added six points, one rebound and one steal while junior forward Lauren McClelland (Scituate, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) contributed six points, two rebounds and one block. 

For Coast Guard, junior guard Kaitlin Ward (Saline, Mich./Saline) notched a double-double with a game-high 14 points and 11 caroms, two assists, one block and one steal. Junior forward Larla Brown (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood) compiled ten points, nine rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Freshman guard Meghan Fornaro (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) tallied six points, brought down six caroms, had three steals and dished out two helpers. 

Trailing 35-34 with 5:05 remaining in the contest, the Bears scored six unanswered points to help facilitate a 14-6 run that led to their fifth win in conference play this season. Sophomore guard Alexi Howland (Latham, N.Y./Central Catholic) netted four points, all on free throws, and Ward also turned in four points to lead the charge. Freshman guard Victoria Sutherland (Houston, Texas/Clear Lake) and Brown both converted a pair of free throws while Fornaro started the run with a fastbreak layup at the 4:56 mark of the stanza. 

Wheaton took a 22-19 lead into the half as the Lyons shot 36.4-percent (8-for-22) from the field and 40.0-percent (4-for-10) from beyond the arc. Brickley had five points and two rebounds while Vitagliano paced the squad with six points. 

Coast Guard outrebounded Wheaton, 46-28, including a 21-6 margin on the offensive glass. The Bears also held a 22-16 advantage in points in the paint. Overall, the lead changed sides seven times during the contest (only two in the first half). 

Wheaton (7-11, 4-7 NEWMAC) hosts Smith College in a NEWMAC showdown on Saturday, January 26 in Emerson Gymnasium at 1 p.m. Coast Guard (7-9, 5-6 NEWMAC) travels to Clark University on Saturday for a NEWMAC contest at 1 p.m.