MBB Tops Regis at the Buzzer

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team secured a share of first place in the New England Collegiate Conference standings thanks to a buzzer-beating layup by senior Anthony Epps, capping a wild 70-68 victory over Regis College on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Epps rebounded a Regis miss in the final seconds and dribbled the length of the court before releasing a layup that banked in as the game clock expired. On the previous Mitchell possession, senior Alex Del Rio tied the game with a long three-pointer from the wing to set up the late-game dramatics.

Mitchell (17-7 overall) finished tied with Elms College atop the NECC with identical 12-4 league records. Both teams will enjoy first round byes for the upcoming NECC Championship, though seeding and match-ups will be announced later this weekend by the conference. Regis (10-13 overall, 9-6 NECC) has also qualified for the championship and will play a first round game on Tuesday, February 25.

Mitchell senior Joshua Ford led all scorers with 28 points and added 12 rebounds and six assists. Junior Parris Hill recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds and also blocked five shots. Epps finished with 13 points while Del Rio chipped in with 11.

Sam Jean-Gilles paced the Pride with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Ryan Chambers scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, and Osanto Marc Jr. contributed 10 points and five boards while battling foul trouble. Ethan Peana had a strong game as well, finishing with a game-high 18 rebounds to go with nine points and six assists.

Neither side got into a rhythm in a first half that featured six ties but no lead changes. Ford netted 11 points to lead all scorers in the stanza, and Mitchell scored the final five points of the period to take a 32-25 lead at the break.

The Mariners pushed the lead to as many as eight in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Pride answered back with eight straight points to tie the contest at 38-38. Regis then took its first lead of the game on a layup by Chris Keaton with 14:14 remaining, and neither side led by more than five points the rest of the way.

Later in the game, Mitchell pulled ahead by one when Ford converted a jumper in the paint and was fouled. His free throw gave the Mariners a 60-59 lead with 4:17 to play.

Chambers put the Pride back on top with a three-pointer at the three-minute mark, and Marc later followed with a layup. Regis then took its largest lead of the game with 1:22 left when Jean-Gilles converted a pair of free throws to make it 67-62.

Mitchell came down the floor on the next possession and got a three from Del Rio to cut the deficit to two. Jean-Gilles then split a pair of freebies to bump the lead back to three, setting the stage for the game-tying three from Del Rio with 14 seconds to go.

Regis opted to forgo a timeout and went to Marc on its final possession. He dribbled from end to end before putting up a contested shot off the backboard with six seconds to go. Epps corralled the miss and dribbled down the left side of the floor for the game-winning layup.

Mitchell's four seniors—a group that included Del Rio, Epps, Ford and Michael Pellegrini—all made big contributions on Senior Day. They combined for 58 of the team's 70 points, including the final 15 over the last 5:48 of the contest.