New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team fell to visiting Coast Guard, 69-60, on Monday afternoon in non-conference action at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
With their second straight out of league setback, the Falcons move to 14-10 on the year, while the Bears won their third in a row to improve to 14-9 overall.
The visitors never trailed in the contest en route to their sixth consecutive win against AMC.
Albertus Magnus sophomore forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) had a monster game in a losing effort. Bolden recorded a double-double thanks to netting a game-high 24 points and pulling down a season-high 17 rebounds. She knocked down nine shots from the field to top the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this winter.
The biggest differences in the contest were three-point shooting and foul shooting. Coast Guard hit five shots from deep and the hosts connected on just 2-of-18 attempts from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Bears hit 75 percent of their attempts, while AMC went 14-of-32 (43.8 %).
Coast Guard started the game hot, jumping out to an early 11-2 edge capped by a layup in transition from Torie Sutherland over the first two and a half minutes of play. The Bears maintained the advantage throughout the first quarter and ended the first frame on a 11-1 run to lead 26-11 heading into the second.
Albertus Magnus outscored the guests, 14-12, in the second stanza to trail 38-25 at the break. Bolden played well in the frame for the home team, scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and the swarming AMC defense forced seven Bear turnovers.
During the second half, AMC was able to cut the deficit to seven at 43-36 in the third quarter following three free throws from junior guard Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.). Coast Guard would answer with an old-fashioned three-point play by freshman guard Shelby Threlkeld to bring the lead back to double digits.
In the fourth quarter, a feverish Falcon comeback fell short as the home team held the guests scoreless over the final three minutes of regulation. Albertus Magnus ended the game on a 7-2 run over the final four minutes of action.
Falcigno once again scored in double figures for the hosts, pouring in 16 points thanks to a 6-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line. Senior forward Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) registered a double-double for Albertus Magnus courtesy of a 13-point, 11-rebound performance.
Senior guard Meghan Fornaro paced the Coast Guard attack with 24 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Fornaro knocked down five shots from canned 13-of-16 from the charity stripe. Sutherland also scored in double figures for the bears, netting 14 on 6-of-12 shooting.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, February 20, with a home conference clash against Emmanuel at 1:00 pm inside The Nest. Prior to the tilt with the Saints, the Falcons will honor the three members of the Class of 2016 for their contributions to the program.
For the latest information on the women's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
