Pires' Three Leads MBB to OT Win in NECC Opener

NEW LONDON, Conn. – A three-pointer by junior Alex Pires with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime vaulted the Mitchell College men's basketball team to an 82-77 victory over Newbury College in its New England Collegiate Conference opener on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Senior Joshua Ford poured in a game-high 32 points—including a pair of free throws to tie the game in the final moments of regulation—and added 16 rebounds to lead the Mariners. Freshman Marcus Vereen came off the bench to add 14 points while senior Alex Del Rio contributed 11 points and seven assists. Pires finished with nine points and grabbed five boards.

Milciades Carrasco led five Nighthawks in double figures with 15 points. Cameron Owen chipped in with 14 points, Eric Watson added 13 and both Christian Sheridan and Earl Hassell chipped in with 12.

The final minute of bonus time provided plenty of drama. Watson tied the game at 77-77 with a three-pointer with 53 seconds to go, and on the ensuing possession the Mariners hit the offensive glass hard for three looks inside the paint. None of the shots fell, however, though Mitchell retained possession thanks to an offensive rebound by Pires. Following a timeout with 16 seconds to play, the Mariners held the ball until Del Rio found Pires on the left wing for the go-ahead trey. Newbury then had 1.9 seconds remaining to attempt the tying three but turned the ball over on the inbounds pass.

Ford scored Mitchell's first six points of the overtime stanza and 11 of the team's final 12 points in regulation. After a three-pointer by Owen put Newbury up by two with 34 seconds to play in regulation, Ford connected on a pair of clutch free throws to knot the game at 71-71 with 17 ticks left on the clock. Newbury got a good look at a winner in the closing seconds but a three by Sheridan was just off the mark.

Newbury overcame a slow start to take a 37-36 lead into the locker room at the half. The Nighthawks shot 1-for-13 to start the game and fell behind 12-3 before kicking things into gear. A 12-2 run later in the stanza produced Newbury's first lead, with Hassell leading the charge with three buckets during the spurt. The Mariners shot 54 percent in the first half but turned the ball over 13 times.

Another slow start by Newbury allowed Mitchell to open the second half on a 12-1 run, taking its largest lead at 48-38 on a free throw by sophomore Frank Martin with 15:37 to go. The Nighthawks connected on their first field goal of the second half when Ceejae Carter buried a three ball just seconds later. Carrasco then added a three-pointer on the following possession to trim the margin back to four.

Neither team led by more than five in the final 10 minutes of regulation, and the lead changed hands four times over the last 4:21. After missing their first nine shots of the half, the Nighthawks went 13-for-26 the rest of the way and banged in seven three-pointers.

Mitchell shot 49 percent for the game and went 19-for-25 from the foul line. Ford, who went to the line 17 times with 14 makes, finished with his sixth straight double-double of the season and also had two assists and a pair of blocks. Newbury shot 38 percent from the floor but connected on 12 shots from outside the arc.

Mitchell (3-3 overall, 1-0 NECC) will next play at Lesley University on Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m.