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Mar 3, 2008

Coast Guard to play at Trinity in NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(3/3/08)--The Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team which captured its second straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament championship will take on Trinity in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Coast Guard, which has tied a school record with 21 wins this season, will be making its third NCAA Tournament appearance (1979, 2007, 2008) and second in as many seasons. The Bears are 0-2 in first round action, they did win the consolation game in the 1979 season.

Third-seeded Coast Guard beat top-seeded WPI 82-66 in the NEWMAC tournament championship game on Sunday.

Trinity won its first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament championship on Sunday with a 74-55 win over Bowdoin. The Bantams (21-6) earn the school's seconds straight trip to the NCAA Tournament its seventh trip all-time (1995, 1998 & 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007 & 2008).

The winner will play at UMass Dartmouth, in the second round, on Saturday at a time to be announced.

The Bears are led by four 1,000 point scorers including all-time leading scorer senior forward Jeff Prebeck with 1,570 points and senior guard Al Sowers, who is second all-time at the Academy with 1,475 points

Junior forward Craig Johnson is ninth all-time with 1,145 points while senior guard Grant Johnson is tenth on the Bears' all-time scoring list with 1,095 points.

Sowers is also the Academy's all-time leader with 393 assists and 259 three-point baskets. Prebeck is second all-time with 1,078 rebounds while Grant Johnson is third in both assists (300) and 3-pointers (234).

Craig Johnson leads the team this season with 14.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while Sowers (13.5), Prebeck (12.7) and Grant Johnson (11.0) are also averaging double figures for the Bears, who have won 10 straight.

Last season, Coast Guard lost to host Rhode Island College 64-60 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, its first appearance in the tournament since the 1978-'79 season while Trinity lost to Brandeis 77-70 in overtime at Rhode Island College in the tournament.

Trinity and Coast Guard have a long history as the team's will meet for the 108th time on Thursday night with the Bantams holding a 77-30 record against Coast Guard. Trinity has won 10 straight against Coast Guard including the last meeting an 80-67 in Hartford on Jan. 10, 2005. Coast Guard last beat Trinity 93-88 in New London on November 28, 1995.