Elms Pulls Away in Second Half vs. MBB

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College guard Andre French led all scorers with 23 points and Dustin Trail added 18 points to help pace the Blazers to a 94-84 victory over Mitchell College in Wednesday's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball game at Picknelly Arena.

With the win, Elms concluded regular season action at 14-11 overall (12-4 NECC) while Mitchell moved to 16-7 on the season (11-4 NECC). Both the Blazers and Mariners have secured first round byes for the upcoming NECC Championship, which begins on February 25. Seedings will be announced by the conference following the completion of regular season play this weekend.
 
In the opening half, neither team held more than a six-point advantage as Elms enjoyed a 38-36 edge at halftime. Trail led all scorers at the break with 12 points, while Mitchell's Joshua Ford followed with 11 points. Trail was 5-for-6 from the field, while Ford hit on 5-for-8 from the floor to highlight the stanza.
 
In the second period, Elms maintained its lead and began to pull away midway through the half. After a Ford layup with 11:47 to play closed the Mariners' deficit to four (57-53), French hit a layup and then canned a three-pointer to spark a 21-6 run over the next four minutes to give the Blazers a commanding 78-59 lead with 7:41 to play. The run featured seven points from French, five from Conny Ihearahu and five from Kenny Lockett.

The Mariners closed to within 10 with 1:12 to play when junior Parris Hill made a bucket inside, but that's as close as Mitchell would get. French and Ford exchanged layups, followed by baskets by Lockett and Alex Del Rio, to set the final score at 94-84.
 
Elms' Isaiah Odunlami added 16 points and eight rebounds while Lockett finished with 15 points and seven boards. Ihearahu added 13 points and a team-best nine boards off the bench.

French was terrific in the offensive surge, dishing out nine assists in addition to his 23 points. The Blazers shot 54 percent from the field and held a 62-46 scoring advantage in the paint. Derek Murphy chipped in nine points off the bench while he and French each secured five rebounds.
 
Mitchell was led by sophomore Frank Martin's 22 points, and Hill finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. Ford followed with 17 points and a game-best 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots and four assists. Senior Anthony Epps added 15 points while Del Rio handed out a team-high six helpers in the losing effort.

Mitchell will wrap up regular season play at home against Regis College on Saturday, February 22 at 2 p.m.