Ford's 43 Points Powers MBB Past SVC

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Junior Joshua Ford scored 27 of his career-high 43 points in the second half to lead the Mitchell College men's basketball team to a 101-72 victory over Southern Vermont College on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Ford shot 12-for-12 in the second half as the Mariners (6-6 overall, 2-2 NECC) outscored the Mountaineers 57-38 in the stanza. Ford finished the game shooting 19-for-22 from the floor and added a game-high 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. He becomes just the third Division III player to record 42 or more points in a game twice this season, having also scored 42 in the season opener against Green Mountain College on November 16.

Two other Mariners joined Ford in double digits on a day when Mitchell shot 54 percent from the field. Junior Alex Del Rio netted 13 points and added seven assists while sophomore Michael Pellegrini tied a season high with 10 points.

Taeshon Johnson led Southern Vermont (0-13 overall, 0-5 NECC) with 26 points and added seven boards, two assists and two steals. Jacob Schongar chipped in with 14 points while Travis Severs netted 12. The Mountaineers shot 46 percent from the floor but committed 20 turnovers.

Neither side led by more than four points in the opening 14 minutes of the contest. Trailing by one, Mitchell took control behind a 10-0 run that included a pair of baskets by both Ford and Pellegrini. Sophomore Alex Pires capped the run with a jumper to give the Mariners a 35-26 lead they would never relinquish.

Mitchell pushed the lead to 14 in the final minute of the first half, but buckets by Schongar and Johnson cut into the deficit as Southern Vermont trailed 44-34 at the break. Johnson led the way for the Mountaineers with 12 points in the first half while Ford paced the Mariners with 16.

The Mariners shot a blistering 60 percent in the second half to blow the game open. Ford set the tone by working into the paint and getting good looks at the rim. Mitchell led by as many as 35 points in the stanza and eclipsed the 100-point plateau for the second time this season.

Sophomore Alberto Durogene played well off the bench for the Mariners, scoring six points and pulling down a career-high eight rebounds in 10 minutes. Junior Anthony Epps added nine points and five assists.

Mitchell will next play at Wheelock College on Tuesday, January 15 at 6 p.m.