NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team was lifted by senior forward Regan Keyter's (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 23-point performance, but ultimately fell to United States Coast Guard Academy in Wednesday's New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest in New London by a score of 71-54.

The loss puts the Lyons at 5-19 on the season and 1-9 within the NEWMAC. The win for the Bears sees them improve to 12-12 overall and 4-6 within the conference. 

Keyter led Wheaton in scoring with 23 points, also adding nine rebounds and four blocks, narrowly missing the double-double. Junior forward Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, NH) finished the game with 14 points on 6-14 shooting with two steals and nine rebounds of her own. Senior guard Kennis Jasperson (Sacramento, Calif.) had an efficient seven points on 60% (3-5) shooting from the field, while first year forward Darlene Tashobya (Kampala, Uganda) picked up 10 rebounds to lead her side in boards.

Senior Dorothy Stotts (Edina, Minn.) took over for the Bears, stacking up 31 points to lead the floor on 50% (13-26) shooting from the field. Sophomore Colleen Finnegan (Dover, Pa.) had a strong night with 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Olivia Wright (Midlothian, Va.) added 10 points off the bench. 

Coast Guard would score first as Finnegan laid one into the basket just 35 seconds into the contest. Keyter would respond with a score of her own, but the 2-2 deadlock would be the closest Wheaton came to taking the lead the entire night. Finnegan and Stotts combined for nine points over the following three minutes, while the Lyons only were able to muster a single three-pointer from Jasperson. Keyter would score and reach the free-throw line to put the Lyons back within reach, but a late three-point play by Stotts saw Keyter's hard work erased. 

Trailing 25-15 at the first break, the Lyons responded with a Colbert three to start their scoring in the second quarter. Colbert and Keyter each scored again to bring the Lyons within six points of the Bears midway through the frame, but Finnegan and Stotts were too much to handle. Both scored four points in the closing minutes of the half, with Wright emerging off the bench and adding a three-pointer to put Wheaton down 43-27 at halftime. 

The second half saw each team score five points in five minutes, with Keyter scoring from downtown and Colbert adding two at the rim. The early flurry was followed by a scoring drought for both sides, but Keyter was able to break out of it with a three-pointer late in the third quarter, marking her second triple of the night. Jasperson scored the final points of the quarter for Wheaton, but the Bears had kept pace with them the entire time, resulting in a 57-44 deficit going into the final quarter.

The start of the fourth quarter saw the Bears take over on offense as the hosts scored nine unanswered points to pull away even further. Tashobya ended the drought for the Lyons, drilling a jumper from mid-range. Wright hit a layup for Coast Guard to give them a 20 point lead with four minutes to play, but Colbert cut into it with another three-pointer. Another score inside the paint and a single made free-throw from Stotts saw the Bears climb ahead by 20 once more, but Keyter took the honors of scoring the final points of the game. The senior scored the final basket from the field, and scored a free-throw with 20 seconds remaining to bring the Lyons to their final score of 71-54.

The Lyons will return to Emerson Gymnasium this Saturday, February 21 at noon as they host NEWMAC foe Babson College for the final game of the 2025-2026 season and senior day. Coast Guard will finish their regular season on Saturday as well, taking on Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. at 1:00 p.m.