Regis Clips MBB in Overtime

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped a 91-88 decision in overtime to Regis College on Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Jordan Monts and Chris Leak Jr. combined to score all 15 of Regis' points in the extra period. Monts netted nine of his 15 points in OT while Leak dropped in six of his team-high 19. The Pride (13-7 overall, 8-3 NECC) had a total of six players score in double figures as Jeff Tagger Jr. added 14 points, Sam Jean-Gilles chipped in with 13 and Hector Heredia and Jaiwon Martin each contributed 10. 

Parris Hill led all scorers with 30 points to pace the Mariners (8-10 overall, 5-5 NECC). Donavan McClean finished with 16 points before fouling out while Frank Martin and Joshua Ford added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Mitchell led by as many as 11 points in the first half before taking a 40-35 advantage into the intermission. Regis closed the gap in the early stages of the second half, and the score remained tight throughout the final 17 minutes of regulation.

The Pride took their first lead of the half on a lay-up by Jean-Gilles with 6:39 to play. Regis later made it a five-point game at 73-68 with 2:30 to go thanks to a big three-pointer by Ethan Peana as the shot clock was winding down.

Mitchell scored the next five points to tie things up once again with 1:05 remaining. After Leak buried a pair of free throws to nudge the Pride back in front, the Mariners got to the foul line with 22 seconds to go with a chance to tie. Hill made the first freebie but missed the second, though he fought his way into the paint to cause a jump ball that gave possession back to Mitchell.

Following a timeout, McClean drove the lane and put up a shot that drew iron, but Hill was there for the tip-in to put Mitchell ahead 76-75 with five seconds to play. Regis inbounded the ball to Heredia, who was fouled on his way down the court and made the second of two free throws to tie the game with 2.7 seconds remaining. Mitchell didn't get up a shot in the final seconds of regulation, and the two sides prepared for the five-minute extra frame.

The Pride scored the first five points of overtime and never gave up the lead. The Mariners hung in throughout thanks to clutch three-pointers from Hill and Wyatt Springer, but Regis always found an answer. Trailing by three, Mitchell had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but the Pride smartly fouled Martin with 2.8 seconds to play to take away the three-point attempt. Martin made both free throws, and Leak slipped behind the defense on the ensuing inbounds play for a break-away dunk to seal the win.

The Pride committed only eight turnovers the entire game and held a 50-30 advantage in points in the paint. Regis' bench also outscored Mitchell's by a 32-8 margin. Leak finished the night with a team-high nine rebounds while Jean-Gilles added eight. Heredia also chipped in with five assists while Tagger had four.

Hill posted a game-high 15 rebounds as Mitchell enjoyed a 42-35 advantage on the glass. The Mariners shot 8-for-15 from three-point range but shot just 53 percent (24-for-41) from the free throw line.

Mitchell will next play at Southern Vermont College on Saturday, February 7 at 3 p.m. Regis returns to action at Newbury College on Saturday at 2 p.m.