MBB Falls Short at Daniel Webster

NASHUA, N.H. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped a 79-66 decision at Daniel Webster College on Tuesday night in New England Collegiate Conference action.

Rondell Best posted a game-high 20 points and pulled in eight rebounds while Ray Farmer flirted with a triple double finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Daniel Webster. 
Jared Harrington posted 12 points for the winners, Ryan Gauthier added 11 with seven rebounds and buried a key three-pointer down the stretch, and Jeremy Smith had a monster game under the glass, pulling in a career-high 14 rebounds to go with eight points. 

Parris Hill led the Mariners (8-13, 6-8 NECC) with 19 points. Donavan McClean added 13 while Frank Martin scored 12. Alan Morgan handed out six assists and chipped in with six points. 

The Eagles, who extended their longest win streak of the season to four games, pulled within a game of the .500 mark (11-12, 8-6 NECC) and fortified their hold on fourth place in the league standings with two games remaining. Despite the loss, Mitchell clinched a postseason berth thanks to losses by Wheelock College and Lesley University on Tuesday night.

DWC dominated the inside, outrebounding Mitchell 53-19 while allowing the Mariners just two offensive rebounds on the night. DWC registered 17 second chance points and held Mitchell to none and outscored the Mariners 40-34 in the paint. 

Up by nine at the break (38-29), DWC allowed Mitchell to come back early in the second. Mitchell opened the second period on a 19-6 tear covering 5:45 with seven points coming from Hill and five from Martin, including his three-pointer that capped the rally and made it a 48-44 visitor lead.

But DWC answered, roaring back with a 13-1 run of its own keyed by a Best layup that tied it at 48, a Farmer layup for the lead, and another Best inside move that later made it a 57-49 Eagle advantage with exactly 10 minutes to go. 

Mitchell clawed back to within four and cut it to three after Martin drew a foul inside and sank two for a 64-61 game with 2:37 remaining. However, Gauthier hit one of his biggest shots of the night from deep in the right corner to get the lead to six at the 2:06 mark. After a Mitchell turnover, Best went inside to complete a three-point play with 1:33 left to get the lead to nine. 

Gauthier went 6-for-6 at the line down the final stretch to ice it leading to the 13-point final as DWC finished 22-for-25 from the line as a team.

Mitchell will look to rebound at Newbury College on Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m.