NEW LONDON, Conn. (Dec. 4, 2024) –  USMMA men's basketball limited Coast Guard to a dismal 6-30 (20%) shooting performance in the second half, as the Mariners took down their rivals 67-56 on Wednesday night in New London. The victory improved the Mariners' record to 4-2 on the season, while the Bears fall to 3-2 in defeat.
 
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• Box Score 

Senior Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) paced all players with 21 points (6-17 FG, 2-5 3P), with fellow senior Drew Zalescik (Lambertville, N.J.) finishing just behind him at 19 points (7-14 FG, 0-3 3P). Zalescik had a double-double with 10 boards along with his 19 points, while Vencel pulled down eight rebounds and dished out five assists. USMMA also forced 21 turnovers, while coughing up the ball just 11 times themselves.
 
The two foes traded baskets through the first five minutes of action, working to a 7-7 draw after a Vencel triple. A quick 8-2 burst from the Bears saw them open up a lead, before neither side could find their shooting touch. Over nearly five minutes, the only points for either side came on a pair of layups from Zalescik, as USMMA cut their deficit to 15-13 with 9:32 to play in the half.
 
Freshman Mason Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.) took over for the Blue and Gray in the final five minutes of the first half, dropping in seven of his 12 total points on the night very quickly, but he and the rest of the Mariners went into the half deadlocked at 35-35.
 
Merchant Marine came out of the break with excellent effort on both sides of the floor. They pushed the lead out to 15 points thanks to a 17-2 run over the first nine minutes of action. The Bears' only two points in that stretch came on a pair of free throws, as USMMA held them to 0-10 from the floor.
 
Coast Guard finally snapped out of their shooting funk just past the 10-minute mark in the half, and then went on a hot stretch of their own. Four three-point makes helped key a 14-2 run for the home team, trimming the gap to just three points, but it was still KP up 54-51 with 5:28 to play.
 
However, USMMA was able to withstand the surge and close out the action with a 13-8 stretch, to secure a 67-56 win over the Bears. This was the first win for the men's team over Coast Guard since 2016, and thus the first win over the Bears for head coach Rob Pryor.
 
Next up for the Mariners, they will hold an exhibition against Division I Columbia on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Lions' Levien Gymnasium in Manhattan. Their next regular season tilt is set for Tuesday, Dec. 10, against Hunter College at the Hunter Sportsplex, also in Manhattan.
 
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