Late Three Pushes SVC Past Men's Basketball

NEW LONDON, Conn. – A clutch three-pointer in the final minute was the difference as Southern Vermont College grabbed an 86-81 victory at Mitchell College on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball play at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

In a back-and-forth game that featured nine ties and 15 lead changes, Brandon Casella put the Mountaineers on top for good with a three ball from the wing with 54 seconds to play. SVC then sealed the game by going 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 19 seconds to remain unbeaten in league play.

Deshawn Hamlet led all scorers with 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to pace Southern Vermont. Dolapo Olugbile chipped in with 13 points while Casey Hall added 10, and Antoine White handed out a game- and season-high 11 assists to go along with seven points and six boards.

Donavan McClean led four Mariners in double figures with 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting. Parris Hill contributed 23 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, and Frank Martin and Devonta Mosley chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Mitchell led by as many as 11 points in the opening half before Southern Vermont whittled the margin down to 35-34 at the break. Hamlet and McClean each scored 14 points to lead their respective squads at intermission.

The Mountaineers led in the early stages of the second half and took their largest lead of the game at 54-48 with 14:11 to play following a layup by Hall. The Mariners countered with a 14-3 run over the next 3:37 that featured baskets from six different players to vault back ahead.

The game was close over the final 10 minutes as the teams traded blows. SVC never trailed again after a pair of free throws by Hamlet made it 75-74 with 3:52 to go. However, Mitchell later pulled even once again on a jumper by Mosley to make it 78-78 with 1:43 remaining.

Casella's big basket came thanks to an offensive rebound by Hall that gave the Mountaineers a second crack at the lead. White then took matters into his own hands, driving into the lane to draw defenders before kicking out to Casella for the clean look from beyond the arc. The bucket—Casella's only points of the game—put SVC in front 81-78 with 54 seconds to go.

White was a force for the Mountaineers in the second half, scoring all seven of his points and handing out seven assists to zero turnovers. Hall also scored all 10 of his points in the stanza after playing only seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.    

Mitchell (2-7 overall, 0-2 NECC) will next play at Daniel Webster College on Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. Southern Vermont (9-3, 3-0 NECC) returns to action at Newbury College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.