KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Dec. 6, 2025) – The USMMA women's basketball team defeated arch-rival Coast Guard, 78-55, at home on Saturday afternoon inside the Liebertz Gymnasium. The victory, which was the Mariners' second-straight over the Bears, improved their record to 6-3, while CGA fell to 4-3 in defeat.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Breanna Sommers 

Sophomore Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) led all players on the day with a career-best 22 points including six three-pointers, while also tying for the game-high with four assists and two steals. Junior Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) and sophomore Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) both recorded double-doubles, with Grasseler producing 21 points and 10 rebounds and Barton adding 15 points and a game-high 15 boards.
 
Senior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) contributed 11 points and five rebounds, while filling the stat sheet with two assists, two blocks and two steals, and freshman Jaden Lodice (Littleton, Colo.) chipped in with seven points and seven boards.
 
Merchant Marine shot 44.3% from the floor and 50% from three (8-of-16) while also converting 8-of-11 from the free-throw line, and their 44 rebounds — including 13 on the offensive glass — fueled a strong second-chance presence. Coast Guard finished at 34.3% shooting and 26.9% from deep, with only four free-throw attempts all afternoon. The Mariners also held advantages in key specialty areas including points off turnovers (16–7) and second-chance points (15–6) while outscoring Coast Guard 30–24 in the paint, helping them maintain control for most of the game.
 
After falling behind 5-0 to start the day, Merchant Marine used second-chance opportunities and a quick scoring burst to take early control. Barton and Lodice finished at the rim to give the Mariners their first lead at 6:36, and Sommers knocked down a pair of threes to help them build a 19-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Mariners carried that momentum into the second, with Barton and Grasseler converting inside to push the margin close to double digits. Coast Guard threatened with a few perimeter makes, but Sommers and Lodice answered from long range, as KP continued winning possessions on the glass and went into halftime up 41-30.
 
After the break, USMMA widened the gap with Sommers hitting back-to-back threes and Barton protecting the paint. Grasseler and Ramsden added transition and put-back baskets during a 19-9 quarter that stretched the lead over 20. The Mariners maintained that cushion throughout the fourth, trading scores while closing out a 78-55 win over their rivals.
 
Coast Guard was led by sophomore Olivia Wright, who finished with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Freshman Georgia Pauli and sophomore Colleen Finnegan each totaled nine points, with Pauli adding three rebounds and Finnegan grabbing a team-best five boards. Senior Taylor Lynch added eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Up next, the Mariners will host Skyline Conference foe Purchase College this coming Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men's team at the Liebertz Gymnasium.
 
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