Late Charge Leads MBB to First Win

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up its first win of the young season by an 86-82 final over Fitchburg State University on Saturday in the consolation game of the 2015 Hampton Inn Tournament at the Tripp Athletic Center.

Senior forward Donavan McClean played every minute of the contest and lifted the Mariners to victory with game highs of 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Classmate Frank Martin also came up big down the stretch, netting seven of his 17 points in the final 2:15 to help secure the win.

Mitchell led by as many as seven points in the opening half, but Fitchburg State pulled back even at 39-39 by intermission. The Falcons then jumped on the Mariners in the first five minutes of the second stanza, building their largest lead at 59-48 following a pair of free throws by Anthony Muccioli.

With plenty of time left in the game, Mitchell quickly went to work and cut the deficit in half on back-to-back three-pointers by freshman Samad Jones and McClean. Although Fitchburg State eventually bumped the lead back to double digits with 8:45 to play, McClean kept the Mariners in striking distance. He scored 11 straight points during a 3:20 stretch as Mitchell cut the deficit to 77-71 with 6:03 to go.

The Mariners finally closed the gap on a three-pointer by Martin that made it 80-80 with 2:05 remaining. After Kwame Lee put the Falcons back on top with a bucket, Martin answered with a pair of free throws to tie things up again. He then put Mitchell ahead for good with a pair of freebies with 32 seconds to play, and Fitchburg State missed on two potential game-tying shots in the final moments.

McClean's performance landed him a spot on the all-tournament team. The 11 rebounds and seven assists were both career highs, and it marked the fourth 30-point game of his Mitchell career.

Freshman Domenico Santiago turned in another solid performance with 13 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. Jones came off the bench to drop in 10 points while sophomore Brayvon Young added eight in a reserve role.

Mitchell will next host Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday, November 18 at 6 p.m.