Albertus Magnus Pulls Away in Second Half vs. MBB

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NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped an 87-62 final in its home opener against Albertus Magnus College on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Falcons (3-1 overall) used a late first half run to pull away and then put things away in the opening minutes of the second half. Walden St. Juste led all scorers with 18 points and added four steals and three assists to pace Albertus Magnus. The Mariners (0-4 overall) were led by senior Eric Murray, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Albertus Magnus jumped ahead early and led 23-16 with 7:45 to play in the first half. The Mariners responded with an 8-0 run-capped by a layup by Murray-to take their first lead with 5:42 remaining. The teams then traded baskets before the Falcons closed the half with a 19-5 run to take control. St. Juste accounted for 10 points during the stretch, including the final eight of the half, as Albertus Magnus carried a 44-31 advantage into the locker room at the intermission.

The Falcons increased their lead with a 23-7 run over the first 5:25 of the second stanza. Albertus Magnus led by as many as 37 points in the contest as both teams emptied their benches in the final minutes.

St. Juste scored his 18 points in just 17 minutes of action. Jefferson Lora and Raymond Askew each notched double-doubles on the night, the former with 14 points and 10 rebounds and the latter with 12 points and 10 boards. James Economopoulos also finished in double figures with 11 points.

Sophomore Alex Vess pulled down a career- and game-high 12 rebounds to help the Mariners. Junior Jenel Russell added eight points and eight rebounds while sophomore Julio Contreras handed out a game-high seven assists.

Mitchell returns to action at Eastern Nazarene College on Friday, December 4 at 8 p.m.