MBB Wraps Up NECC Bid at SVC

BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team clinched a spot in the upcoming NECC Championship with a 93-80 victory at Southern Vermont College on Tuesday night at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.

The Mariners shot a blazing 64 percent for the game, their best team performance of the season. Junior Joshua Ford led the way with 33 points on 16-for-20 shooting and also grabbed nine rebounds, pushing him over 500 for his career. Taeshon Johnson also netted 33 points to lead Southern Vermont.

Mitchell (12-10 overall, 8-6 NECC) clinched one of six spots for the 2013 NECC Championship, which begins with first round play on Tuesday, February 19. The Mariners last qualified for the tournament in 2009.

Travis Severs and Jacob Schongar each knocked down threes to give the Mountaineers an 8-6 advantage in the early going. Following a Severs steal, Johnson cleaned up a missed SVC lay-up with a strong put-back dunk.

Mitchell was quick to recover, however, as sophomore guard Alex Pires answered with a three-pointer to quiet the home crowd. Following a Johnson lay-up, the Mariners went on a 10-0 run to pull ahead 19-12.

Mitchell led 32-22 with 7:23 to play when Tyler Hess buried a three from the left side to keep SVC close. The lead fluxuated for the remainder of the half, with Mitchell leading by as many as 12 before Southern Vermont fought back to within six. A lay-up by junior Anthony Epps in the closing seconds of the half gave Mitchell a 49-41 lead going into the locker room.

Southern Vermont tried to get back in the game in the second half, but Mitchell's efficiency from the floor kept the Mountaineers at bay. SVC never got any closer than seven for the remainder of the game. Ford netted 19 in the second stanza as the Mariners secured the win.

Epps followed Ford with 18 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Devonta Mosely came off the bench to pour in 16 points. Junior Alex Del Rio finished with a game-high eight assists.

Johnson pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds on the evening for the double-double as Campbell scored 15 points to go along with three rebounds. Severs would finish with 12 points as Schongar recorded 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in the effort.

Mitchell closes out a five-game road trip at Becker College on Thursday, February 14 at 7 p.m.