MBB Falls Short at Western Connecticut State

DANBURY, Conn. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped a 67-56 final at Western Connecticut State University on Tuesday night at Feldman Arena.

Sophomore center Leroy Mayers scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to lead his squad to victory. Also scoring in double figures for WestConn was sophomore Gary Robinson who had 10 points and seven rebounds. Junior John Phillips added nine points and six rebounds for the victorious Colonials.

For Mitchell College, junior Drew Norris led all scorers and tied a season high with 21 points, while also leading the Mariners on the boards with seven rebounds. Sophomore Julio Contreras chipped in with eight points and finished with season highs of eight assists and five rebounds.

WestConn took control of the game early, scoring the game's first seven points. Two Robinson free throws at the 16:18 mark stretched the Colonial lead to 10-1, but Mitchell battled back to take a 15-14 lead with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The score remained close over the final 10 minutes of the first half, but two layups by Phillips in the final two minutes stretched the WestConn lead to 33-27 going into the locker room at intermission.

WestConn again controlled play in the opening minutes of the second half, building a 12-point lead at 41-29. With just under four minutes to play, freshman Brendon Boyd hit a jumper to give the Colonials a 20-point lead, 61-41, and WestConn cruised to a 67-56 final margin of victory.

For the game, WestConn held a 42-38 advantage on the boards while also handing out 22 assists to 12 for Mitchell. Mitchell managed to shoot only 36 percent from the floor (22-61), while the Colonials struggled from the free throw line hitting only eight of 18 attempts (44 percent).

With the win, WestConn improved to 14-4 on the season, while Mitchell College fell to 2-15. The Mariners will be back in action on Saturday, February 6 at Newbury College. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.