Eagles Torpedoed by Coast Guard in Tournament Opener

New London, C.T. - The St. Joseph's Golden Eagles (2-4) awarded the Coast Guard Bears (1-4) their first victory of the season as SJC was flying high going into halftime but fell from the sky on their way to a 72-59 defeat in the opneing game of the Cost Guard's Citizens Bank Tournament.

The Eagles fell in a 6-0 hole to start the game but quickly recovered as two consecutive three-pointers by Jordan Kowalski (North Babylon, N.Y./Abilene (Texas) gave St. Joseph's their first lead of the game 18-15. It was raining threes for the Eagles with six in the final seven minutes of the half, as they extended their lead to as many as nine, but Coast Guard cut it to seven going into halftime.

Coast Guard would get their share of three pointers to start the second half as in the first seven minutes of the half, the Bears drained five threes on a 22-6 run. From that point on, the Eagles couldn't seem to get the deficit under eight. The closest the Eagles got was within seven with 2:07 remaining. The Bears didn't hit one field goal for the rest of the game but being in the double bonus paid off as St. Joseph's sent Coast Guard to the line four times in the final two minutes and they hit all eight free throws to put the game away.

The Eagles struggled on the boards once again, outrebounded 38 to 28. The Bears nearly shutout the Golden Eagles on second chance points, 18-4. Darryl Charles (Middletown, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) led St. Joseph's once again with 24 points and eight rebounds. He also added three blocks and a steal. Despite his seven turnovers, Andy Laurent (Amityville, N.Y./Amityville) didn't miss from the field, finishing with eleven points. The difference in the game was a glaring weakness for the Eagles as they shot 57% while Coast Guard shot 84% from the line.