NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's basketball team held a 30-2 advantage in points off of turnovers in handing visiting United States Coast Guard Academy a 51-35 loss in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon in Emerson Gymnasium.

Knocking off the Bears for the first time since the 2004-05 season, the Lyons raised their overall record to 12-9 and league mark to 6-3. Having its three-game winning streak snapped, Coast Guard slipped to 4-16 and 3-6.

A slow offensive start saw just 15 points scored through the opening 9:13, with the hosts holding a 9-6 edge thanks to a trio of three-pointers, including a pair from senior Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy). Her first trifecta at 13:44 started a 10-0 run for a 13-6 lead just before the halfway mark of the frame. The Bears narrowed the gap to 15-12 at 8:10 before eight straight Lyon points made the score 23-12 with 2:59 to go. Juniors Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) and Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) each had four points in the run.

The Bears twice brought the deficit to single digits before Smith's third three of the half provided Wheaton with the stanza's largest lead, a 28-16 advantage entering the break. The Lyons limited Coast Guard to 36.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.6 percent from three. The Blue and White also held a 16-11 rebounding edge and forced the Bears into 11 turnovers. Bailey's visit to the foul line at 2:59 proved to be the only freebie attempts from either team.

Eight straight Coast Guard points to begin the second half made the score 28-24, as juniors Leslie Hunt (Poquoson, VA/Poquoson) and Sabrina Taylor (Lake Worth, FL/Lake Worth) each hit a three. Wheaton went 0-for-8 to begin the frame and didn't score a bucket until the 12:36 mark when Smith laid in a basket. The Bears stayed close for the better part of the half, trailing 36-31 with less than five minutes to play before the Lyons used an 11-0 run in 2:15 to take control. Senior Jennie Pleat (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) had six points in the stretch.

Wheaton finished the contest with 18 assists on 20 field goals and a 32-24 rebounding advantage. Smith paced the team with 14 points, going 4-of-9 from deep, while Pleat added 10 points. Classmate Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) contributed seven points, six assists and five rebounds, while Bailey added a team-high six rebounds and five assists.

Bear junior Melissa Martinelli (Vero Beach, FL/Sebastian River) recorded a game-best 15 points and seven rebounds, while senior Chanel Lee (Richmond, VA/Henrico) added six points and seven boards.

Three of Wheaton's final four regular season games take place on the road, beginning with Wednesday's conference clash at Wellesley College, where the Lyons look to complete a season sweep of the Blue beginning at 7:00 p.m.