NEW LONDON, Conn. – Connecticut College dropped a 62-59 decision at Coast Guard Academy on Monday night in a non-conference women's basketball showdown at Merriman Gymnasium.

The Camels trailed by 12 with 5:10 remaining in the game before making things interesting with a late push. An 11-2 Conn run made it a one-possession game with 1:31 to go, but Coast Guard held on down the stretch to improve to 3-5 overall.

Rebecca Oberman-Levine (Hamden, Conn.) led three Conn players in double figures with 16 points on 7-for-19 shooting. Avery Burns (Orleans, Mass.) contributed a season-high 14 points off the bench, and Catie Donadio (Clinton, Conn.) added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

In the opening half, Coast Guard took control by scoring the final eight points of the first quarter and the first 11 of the second. The end result was a 19-0 run that gave the Bears a 24-5 lead with 6:11 remaining in the stanza.

Burns and Oberman-Levine helped pull the Camels out of their offensive funk. Conn outscored Coast Guard 17-8 over the final 5:51 of the half, knocking nine points off the deficit to trail 32-22 at intermission. Burns drilled three triples during the stretch while Oberman-Levine added six points.

The Bears held a comfortable lead for much of the second half but were never able to pull away completely. In the fourth quarter, Conn's final push began with a three-pointer by Molly Cronin (Wellesley, Mass.), and buckets by Burns and Donadio trimmed the deficit to seven. 

Minutes later, a drive and a layup by Donadio made it 59-56 with 1:31 to play. However, the Bears countered with a fast break up the floor for an easy basket for Kira Wood.

Jaycie Rojik (Scituate, Mass.) was fouled with 1:08 to go, and after making the first free throw she missed the second. Oberman-Levine was there to put back the miss, pulling the Camels to within 61-59 for the final 60 seconds. 

Conn forced two turnovers in the final minute of play but gave the ball back each time. Coast Guard added the final point at the free throw line with 1.2 seconds remaining, and with no timeouts left, the Camels had no chance to advance the ball for a final shot at tying the game.

Wood finished with a game-high 20 points to lead the Bears.

Conn College (1-6 overall) returns to action at Mt. Holyoke College on Saturday, December 10 at noon.