NEW LONDON, Conn. – The United States Coast Guard Academy men's basketball team scored with 1.3 seconds left to play to come away with a 75-74 victory over visiting Wheaton College (Mass.) in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference season opener this afternoon at Roland Hall in New London, Conn. 

The Lyons fall to 5-6 overall and 0-1 in league play, while the Bears improve to 3-9 and 1-0.

Coast Guard inbounded the ball with less than six seconds to play and first year guard Mitch Shettles (New Albany, Miss.) took one dribble in before taking a step-back jumper just inside the three-point line and hit nothing but net to give the Bears a 75-74 lead with 1.3 seconds left to play in the game. Wheaton attempted a long inbound pass from the baseline, but it was swatted away just over midcourt to secure the win for the home team.

Coast Guard committed just six turnovers for the game, including a costly miscue with under 10 seconds to play that led to the Lyons taking the lead prior to Shettles' game-winning shot. Both teams shot just over 44%, while Wheaton owned a 41-33 rebounding advantage. 

Senior forward Aaron Williams (Springfield, Mass.) led the Lyons with 22 points on 8-16 shooting, including 3-8 from three-point range and ripped down 10 rebounds to record his fifth double-double in addition to blocking four shots, handing out three assists and coming up with a steal. Classmate Alex Carlisle (Saint Johnsbury, Vt.) netted 14 points, grabbed six boards and dished out three assists, while senior backcourt mate Evan Cook (Dunstable, Mass.) contributed with 11 points, including 3-5 from three-point range and added three rebounds.

Shettles finished with a career-high 23 points on 9-13 from the floor, including 4-6 from beyond the three-point arc, in addition to four rebounds off the bench for the Bears. Sophomore forward Abe Countryman (Berlin, Pa.) scored 19 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks and first year guard Elijah Parent (Bristol, Conn.) chipped in with 13 points on 5-7 shooting in addition to three assists and a pair of rebounds.

Shettles' eventual game-winner was the seventh lead change in the final six-plus minutes of play. 

Wheaton faced a three-point deficit at 73-70 with 28 ticks showing on the clock, before Carlisle elected to take the ball to the hoop and scored on a lay-up to pull the Lyons to within 73-72 with 17 seconds to play in the game. Wheaton pressured the inbounds play on the baseline following the made basket, which resulted in a steal by first year forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.). The decision not to foul resulted in Williams drawing the foul off the steal with 8.8 seconds remaining in the contest. The big man sank both tries to give Wheaton the one-point margin at 74-73. Coast Guard brought the ball over midcourt before calling a timeout prior to the last points of the game.

The Bears scored the first six points of the afternoon as part of a 22-9 stretch to open the game. Shettles scored 11 points during the run, including a trio of triples to give Coast Guard a 13-point lead with 10:50 to play in the first half.

Luke Farrell converted a layup at the 9:34 mark to give the Bears their largest lead at 33-17. Coast Guard maintained a 41-25 advantage with 35 seconds to go in the half, before senior guard Marckenley Lima (Roslindale, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer to pull the Lyons to within 41-28 at the intermission.

The Bears owned a 46-35 cushion with 17:07 remaining in the game, but Williams scored 10 points during a 22-9 run that gave Wheaton a 57-55 lead with 9:16 to play in the game.

The Lyons held onto a 62-59 margin at the 6:42 mark of the second half, but Shettles drained a three-pointer and added a free throw to complete a four-point play and reclaim the lead for Coast Guard at 63-62 with 6:23 left in the contest. The teams traded the lead four times before a pair of Carlisle free throws knotted the contest at 70-70 for Wheaton with 2:54 showing on the second half clock.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, January 7 when they host Clark University in NEWMAC action at Emerson Gymnasium at 1:00 p.m., while the Bears host Emerson College for a league game on the same day at the same time.