MBB Comes Up Short at Coast Guard

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team suffered a 97-89 setback to crosstown rival Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday night.

Led by 28 points from Kevin Alvarez and 23 points from Micah Baldez, Coast Guard outscored Mitchell 51-42 in the second half to seal the victory. The Bears improved to 3-1 on the season and remained undefeated at home while the Mariners dropped to 1-3 on the year. 

The 28 points were a season high for Alvarez, who shot 9-for-21 from the floor and 3-for-8 from beyond the arc and chipped in eight rebounds. Baldez was 5-of-7 from the field and did most of his damage from the free throw line, making 12 of 14. The 23 points was a career best for Baldez along with a career-high six assists. Devon Zych registered a game-high 11 rebounds while Nolan Benson notched a career high in points and rebounds with 10 points and seven boards. 

Mitchell was led by four players in double figures. Senior Frank Martin had a team-high 25 points, seven rebounds, and a game-high three steals. Sophomore Brayvon Young had a career-best 19 points and made six three-pointers. Sophomore Alan Morgan scored 14 points while freshman Domenico Santiago added 13 points off the bench. 

It was a tight game early on as a layup by Santiago made the score 14-14 with 12:56 left in the first period. The Mariners then went on a 14-6 run to take a 28-20 lead capped off by a three-pointer by freshman Samad Jones with just under nine minutes to go in the half. Mitchell continued to add to the lead, extending the margin to 11 at 35-24 as Young found Morgan for a layup at the 7:45 mark. 

The Bears chipped away and brought the deficit to one right before the half ended as Alvarez sunk two from the charity stripe. Morgan scored 12 of his 14 points in the opening stanza as the Mariners led 47-46 at the break. 

It was all Coast Guard at the start of the second half. The Bears came out on a 22-8 run to seize a 68-55 lead with just over 13 minutes left to go in the game. Coast Guard continued to press and took control of the game when Alvarez made a steal and a quick pass to Baldez, who found senior Mark Krebs under the basket for the easy layup and a 19-point Bears lead with 9:16 on the clock. 

The Mariners got no closer than 10 the rest of the way as Coast Guard cruised to the finish. Coast Guard shot 45 percent from the floor and went 8-for-21 from three. The Bears outrebounded Mitchell 58-31 and held a 26-22 scoring advantage in the paint. Mitchell, which shot 40 percent overall and 12-for-36 from beyond the arc, forced 11 more turnovers tjan Coast Guard (28-17) but could not capitalize on the disparity.

Mitchell returns to action at Elms College on Saturday, December 5 at 1 p.m.