MBB Knocks Off Conn College

NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up an 81-75 victory over Connecticut College on Tuesday night in non-conference play at Luce Field House.

Senior Joshua Ford and junior Parris Hill each recorded double-doubles to lead Mitchell (16-5 overall) to its first-ever win over Conn College. Each grabbed 13 rebounds while Ford finished with a game-high 28 points and Hill netted 22. Senior Anthony Epps also scored in double figures with 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half.

The win over Conn College also gave Mitchell a sweep of its New London neighbors. Earlier this season, the Mariners came from behind to win 67-66 at Coast Guard.

Mitchell trailed by seven midway through the first half before an 11-4 run tied the game at 19-19 with 7:42 remaining in the period. The Mariners took their first lead minutes later on a jumper by Hill and led by as many as five with 3:37 to go.

The Camels closed the half strong, outscoring the Mariners 13-6 over the final 3:00 to take a 37-35 lead into the break. Ford had 14 points at intermission to lead Mitchell while Alex Hall paced Conn College with 14.

It was a nip-and-tuck affair for most of the second half, though the Camels scored nine straight points to open up their largest lead at 62-53 with 10:19 remaining. However, Ford and Hill combined for 13 of Mitchell's next 15 points, and the Mariners rallied back to tie the game at 68-68 with 4:44 to play.

After Mitchell went up by two on free throws by Hill and Epps, Conn's Matt Vadas tied the game at 70-70 with two more from the line with 2:38 remaining. On the ensuing Mariners possession, Ford kicked a pass out to Epps on the wing for a three-ball that put the visitors on top for good at 73-70.

The Camels clawed back to within one when Mason Lopez netted a pair from the charity stripe. However, Ford made another terrific pass to lead Hill in the paint for a slam dunk that made it a 75-72 contest with 1:06 remaining. 

After Vadas pulled the Camels to within two, Ford was the facilitator again, leading Epps in for a layup with 40 seconds left that pushed the Mitchell advantage to 77-73. The Mariners then went 4-for-6 from the stripe in the final 32 seconds to seal the win.

Ford had five steals and four assists to go with his 19th double-double of the season. Epps also had four assists while senior Alex Del Rio handed out five.

Hall led Conn with 21 points while Vadas contributed 20. The Camels dropped to 9-12 overall on the season.

Mitchell returns to conference play at Southern Vermont College on Saturday, February 15 at 3 p.m.