Ford's 42 Points Propels MBB to Victory in Season Opener

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College and Mount Ida College men's basketball teams each came away with victories on the first day of play at the 2012 Mitchell College Tip-Off Tourney Showcase on Friday evening at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Mitchell was paced by a career-high 42 points from junior Joshua Ford in a 105-99 win over Green Mountain College. Mount Ida posted a 102-72 victory against Johnson State College and had five players score in double figures led by 23 points from John Fortes.

The Showcase will conclude with two games on Saturday, November 17 beginning at 1 p.m. Mount Ida and Green Mountain will face off first, with Johnson State and Mitchell to follow at 3 p.m.

Game 1 – Mitchell 105, Green Mountain 99

Mitchell (1-0 overall) jumped out to a 23-6 lead to start the game and never trailed. Ford provided the first 13 points for the Mariners and didn't miss a shot in the half en route to 31 points by intermission. Mitchell led by as many as 21 points in the stanza and shot a blistering 69 percent from the floor.

Green Mountain (0-1 overall) whittled the deficit down to 10 with 2:34 to play in the first half, but Mitchell closed with a 12-5 run to take a 61-44 lead into the break. Ford hit a three-pointer right before the buzzer to end the half a perfect 13-of-13 from the floor. Jakerion Ales and Carnelius Green each had 12 points in the first half to pace the Eagles.

Ford made another field goal in the second half before finally registering a miss thanks to a block by Green. Mitchell built the lead back up to 22 following a layup by Anthony Epps with 7:55 to play, but Green Mountain clawed back to within single digits behind a 16-3 run over the next 3:21 to make it 92-83. Ales connected on consecutive three-point field goals to cap the run.

Mitchell held on down the stretch and shot 57 percent from the floor in the contest. Ford shot 17-for-21 in the game and added 13 rebounds, six assists and five steals. Three other Mariners also scored in double figures, with freshman Devonta Mosley contributing 14 points and Epps and freshman Joseph Pemberton chipping in with 10 each. Junior Alex Del Rio led all players with eight assists.

Green led five Eagles in double digits with 24 points, 13 boards, four assists and three steals. Ales finished with 20 points while Chris Strong added 12. Haneef Scott and Jeremiah Aponte chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Green Mountain shot 41 percent from the floor in the loss.

Game 2 – Mount Ida 102, Johnson State 72

Mount Ida (1-0 overall) took the lead with its first field goal of the contest and never trailed again. The Mustangs opened up a double-digit lead behind a 14-4 run with 11:43 to go in the first half, with Fortes and Evens St. Juste contributing five points apiece during the spurt.

Mount Ida shot 58 percent in the first half and held a 54-36 lead at the break. The Mustangs went on to lead by as many as 34 points in the second stanza as Johnson State (0-1 overall) struggled offensively, shooting just 31 percent from the floor in the contest.

Fortes netted his game-high 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, his only miss coming from behind the three-point stripe. Cam Walker finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his collegiate debut, and Jeff McNair notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. St. Juste ended the night with 20 points, six boards and four steals while Aaron Kelly added 13 points and six rebounds.

Bryan Hickey led the Badgers with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Malik Burbage came off the bench to record a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 11 boards while Asim Khan finished with 11 points.