Men's Basketball Battles Back to Down DWC in OT

NEW LONDON, Conn. – A clutch three-pointer by junior Alex Del Rio at the end of regulation sent Saturday's men's basketball showdown between Mitchell College and Daniel Webster College to overtime, where the Mariners pulled out an 89-84 victory to open New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play.

Mitchell (5-3 overall, 1-0 NECC) trailed by nine with 4:30 to go but battled back to have a chance at the tie on the final possession of the second half. Del Rio brought the ball up the floor and tried a long three-pointer with five seconds left. The shot was short, but junior Joshua Ford grabbed the rebound and tried to make his way back outside the arc. Before he could get there, Del Rio flashed to the corner, and a perfect pass found him open for the game-tying three at the buzzer.

The Mariners scored the first four points of overtime and never lost the lead en route to the win. Junior Anthony Epps scored 27 points on 8-for-12 shooting to pace the Mariners and also added eight rebounds. Ryan Gauthier netted a game-high 28 points and went 5-for-6 on three-point attempts to lead the Eagles (3-4 overall, 0-2 NECC).

Mitchell led by as many as nine points in the first half and held a 32-24 advantage with 3:26 to go before Daniel Webster made a run to close the gap. The Eagles scored 11 straight points to take a 35-32 lead, with five different players contributing during the stretch. However, back-to-back buckets by freshman Joseph Pemberton in the final minute gave the Mariners a 36-35 edge at the break.

Daniel Webster took the lead back on the opening possession of the second half on a lay-up by Dave Schindewolf and held it until the 8:18 mark when Epps made a spin move into the lane and buried a mid-range jumper. The Eagles went back in front on a three-pointer by Daris Cosby, part of a 16-4 run that Daniel Webster used to build its biggest lead of the contest at 72-63 with 4:30 remaining.

Mitchell responded with seven straight points to cut the deficit to two with 2:43 to go, but Daniel Webster stayed ahead by scoring its next five points from the free throw line. A pair of freebies from Schindewolf put the Eagles up 77-72 with 36 seconds remaining, though Del Rio fired back with a three to draw the Mariners back to two.

Schindewolf made consecutive trips to the line in the final 23 seconds and made 3-of-4 to give the Eagles an 80-77 advantage, setting the stage for the final 14 seconds of regulation. Del Rio's tying three went down as the buzzer sounded, sending the raucous crowd into a frenzy. Del Rio scored Mitchell's final eight points of the half and finished with 14 for the game.

The Mariners shot 43 percent from the floor and went 17-for-19 at the free throw line. Ford finished with 22 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for his team-leading fifth double-double of the season. Del Rio also handed out a game-high eight assists.

The Eagles shot 44 percent from the field and went 23-for-28 from the charity stripe. Schindewolf had 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Cosby chipped in with 19 points.

Mitchell will next host Connecticut College on Tuesday, December 11 at 6 p.m.