Newbury Edges MBB in Final Minutes

NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped a 72-63 decision to Newbury College on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Timothy Young and John Rowley Jr. each scored 15 points to lead a balanced Newbury scoring attack. The Nighthawks (3-7 overall, 1-1 NECC) seized control in the final minutes of the contest, outscoring the Mariners (1-9 overall, 0-3 NECC) by an 8-2 margin to seal the victory. Junior Drew Norris led Mitchell with 18 points.

The game was close throughout, with each team trading baskets and taking small leads. The biggest lead for either squad in the first half was five points, with Mitchell holding a 24-19 edge with 9:34 to play in the period. The Mariners led by four with 4:38 to play but wouldn't score again before the halftime buzzer, allowing the Nighthawks to close the stanza with a 7-0 run and take a 37-35 lead into the locker room at the intermission.

The teams traded the lead back and forth in the opening minutes of the second half, but Newbury went ahead for good at 44-43 on a jumper by Paul Beckford Jr. with 16:15 to play. The Nighthawks expanded the lead to eight points with just over nine minutes to play in the contest, but the Mariners rallied for one final comeback.

A steal and lay-up by Mitchell freshman Paul Jefferson made it a three-point game with 5:41 to go. Newbury then missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Beckford came up with a big rebound and putback to push the lead back to five. On Mitchell's next possession Norris drained a three to make it 60-58, and following a defensive stop the Mariners had a chance to take the lead but came up empty.

A three-pointer by Young put Newbury back up by five, but Norris answered with another trey to make it 63-61 with 2:38 to play. The Mariners, however, wouldn't make another field goal in the game, and Newbury closed with eight of the final 10 points of the contest.

Newbury shot 51 percent from the floor and went 19-of-28 from the free throw line. Beckford finished with 12 points and nine rebounds while Rondell Best added 11 points and five boards.

Mitchell shot 43 percent but only made nine trips to the foul line for eight points. Norris finished with four three-pointers and grabbed six rebounds while junior Tyler Blier added 10 points.

Mitchell returns to action against Daniel Webster College on Saturday, January 16 at Yarnall Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. Newbury will next play at Eastern Nazarene College on Thursday, January 14 at 7 p.m.