MBB Slips Past Elms in OT

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College needed overtime to secure a 94-91 victory over Elms College on Saturday afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball matchup at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Mariners outscored the Blazers 11-8 in the extra frame to pick up their third straight win and sixth in seven games. Parris Hill scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Mitchell (7-9 overall, 5-4 NECC) while Jerry Buchanon paced Elms (9-9 overall, 7-3 NECC) with 29 points, seven boards and six assists.

Hill scored six points in overtime and put the Mariners in front for good with a free throw with 1:25 to play in the extra session. Mitchell had a chance to ice the game with 6.1 seconds to go, but a missed free throw gave Elms a chance at the tie, though Buchanon's attempt was off the mark.

Hill, who shot 11-for-21 from the field, was one of four Mariners in double figures. Domenico Santiago scored 23 points and added a season-high 20 rebounds to post his team-leading seventh double-double of the season. Donavan McClean chipped in with 18 points and five rebounds while Frank Martin finished with 13 points and four boards.

Buchanon shot 10-for-17 from the floor in 43 minutes of action. Elms also received strong contributions from Symon Smith and Conny Ihearahu. Smith drained four three-pointers and finished with 21 points to go with eight rebounds, and Ihearahu added 20 points, six boards and two blocks.

Mitchell never trailed in the opening half and led 16-8 following a three-pointer by Martin with 14:00 to go. Elms responded with 10 of the next 12 points to tie the game at 18-18 just 1:27 later, with Smith contributing a pair of threes during the stretch.

Later in the half, the Mariners took their biggest lead at 42-33 on a layup by Santiago, who shot 6-for-6 and pulled down 11 rebounds in the stanza. Buchanon answered with a three on the other end, and the Blazers eventually pulled to within three on a deep ball from Smith that ended the first-half scoring.

Mitchell led 48-45 at the break as Hill had 16 points and Santiago contributed 12. Smith netted 14 points for Elms in the period while Ihearahu added 10.

Elms took its first lead of the game on a Buchanon free throw just over three minutes into the second half. Mitchell answered with a 10-2 run to immediately reclaim the lead as Hill and McClean each hit a pair of shots in the spurt.

The Blazers scored eight straight points to tie the game at 64-64 with 11:41 to play, and after that neither side led by more than three in regulation. The lead changed hands five times before a jumper by Santiago tied the game at 80-80 with 3:40 to go.

Both teams squandered chances over the next three minutes as the score remained unchanged. The Blazers went up one on a free throw by Buchanon with 40 seconds to play, but Hill put the Mariners back on top with a jumper with 26 ticks left.

On the next Elms possession, Buchanon worked his way into the lane and rattled home a floater for another one-point lead. The Mariners then went to McClean for a chance at the win, though he was fouled on a drive and made one of two free throws to tie the game at 83-83 with five seconds left. The Blazers quickly called timeout but had trouble on the ensuing inbounds play, resulting in a half-court heave at the buzzer that came up empty.

Mitchell will next play at Regis College on Thursday, February 4 at 8 p.m. Elms returns to action at home against Daniel Webster College on Tuesday, February 2 at 8 p.m.