Coast Guard Rally Sinks Westfield, 76-72 in OT

WESTFIELD, Mass. –  Freshman guard Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) came off the bench to score 26 points, as the U.S. Coast Guard Academy rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit to sink Westfield State University, 76-72 in overtime in a non-conference women's basketball game at the Woodward Center on Monday afternoon.

Westfield jumped out to a 32-14 lead on Jess Gardner's three-pointer with 2:44 left in the first half.

The Owls led 32-17 at the half, as Coast Guard shot a foggy 5-33 from the floor in the first half, including 0-15 from three-point range.

The second half proved a different story, as the Bears were 20-43 from the floor in the second half an overtime period, and shot 4-8 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter to help force the extra session.

Westfield entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead.

The Bears did most of their damage in the final 4:44 of regulation, as Stotts made a layup to trim the lead to 10, then drained a three-pointer with 3:09 left to trim the Owls' lead to seven, at 59-52.

Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass./Minnechaug) layup with 2:16 left was the last time Westfield would score in regulation.

Stotts three-pointer with 1:17 left pulled the game to within two points, then after an Owls turnover, Jaqueline Ward made two free throws with 27 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 61-all.

In the extra session, Stotts and Kira Wood (Seattle, Wash.) hit three-pointers on Coast Guard's first two possessions, with Stotts giving the Bears their first lead of the game, and Wood extending the margin to six points to keep the Owls on the back foot for the rest of the overtime period.

Coast Guard (6-6) made seven of nine free throws in OT to secure the victory.

Julia Mann (Central Square, N.Y.) finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds for Coast Guard, and Ward added 11.  Kelly Hagerty (Emerald Isle, N.C.) came off the bench to add 10 points.

Westfield was led by 21 from Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.).  Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine) added 16 points, and Jess Gardner (Webster, Mass./Holy Name) finished with 10 points and six rebounds.   Williams, a 5-4 first-year guard grabbed 17 rebounds for Westfield, and Maddie Pond (Holyoke, Mass./Hampshire) contributed five steals and five rebounds to go with seven points.

Westfield (7-6 overall) will open conference play as part of a men's and women's doubleheader at MCLA on Wednesday.

Coast Guard will play Bryant & Stratton of Buffalo, N.Y. at home on Friday at 1:00 p.m.