Wheelock Holds Off MBB in Second Half

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team made a charge in the second half but came up short in its comeback bid against Wheelock College, falling 70-63 Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Bashir Hudson recorded his eighth double-double of the season to pace the Wildcats (10-8 overall, 8-2 NECC) to their sixth straight win. Hudson finished with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting and added 13 rebounds and three blocks, one of three Wheelock players to score in double digits. Sophomore Joshua Ford led Mitchell (5-12 overall, 3-8 NECC) with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

After taking the lead in the early stages of the contest, the Mariners stayed in front until a basket by Daniel Higgins gave the Wildcats a 17-16  lead with 8:10 remaining in the first half. Wheelock later closed the stanza with a 10-1 run to lead 35-23 at the break, with Kyle Pierce providing seven points and three buckets during the stretch. Mitchell struggled in the final 3:50 of the half, turning the ball over on six of its final seven possessions.

Wheelock led the entire second half but had to hold off a strong push from the home team. After a three-pointer by Max Kaim gave the Wildcats a 44-31 lead with 13:25 to play, the Mariners cut into the deficit behind a 13-4 run over the next 6:25. When Ford grabbed a defensive board and fired a full-court pass to senior Alex Vess for an easy lay-up, Mitchell had pulled to within 48-44 with 6:50 to go.

The Mariners had a chance to make it a one-possession game on their next possession, but a miss by Ford was rebounded by Kaim and resulted in fast-break lay-up for Pierce on the other end. Wheelock quickly ripped off eight straight points to push the lead back to double digits and coasted to victory.

Pierce and Kaim both finished in double figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Elliot Hernandez chipped in with nine points off the bench while Eric Rice added eight points. Wheelock shot 49 percent for the game and played suffocating perimeter defense on the Mariners, holding them to a 3-for-11 effort from beyond the arc.

Ford also had four assists and four steals to go along with his team-leading eighth double-double of the season. Vess finished with 13 points and five rebounds while classmate Enoch Contreras added nine points and three assists. Senior Terrance Fisher and freshman Michael Pellegrini each contributed eight points off the bench.

Mitchell will next play at Elms College on Thursday, February 2 at 8 p.m.