MBB Falls Behind Early, Can't Catch Becker

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Becker College jumped out to a big first-half lead and held on down the stretch, posting a 91-85 victory at Mitchell College on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Hawks (15-10 overall, 12-4 NECC) swept the season series as Reginald Finney and Samuel Durodola led the way. Finney scored 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds while Durodola contributed 26 points and nine boards. Kareem Davis and Kyle Credle also finished in double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively, as Becker shot 51 percent as a team.

Mitchell (9-14 overall, 7-9 NECC) received big contributions from its three seniors on Senior Day. Parris Hill netted 25 of his game-high 31 points in the second half and finished with eight rebounds and two blocks. Donavan McClean added 27 points and nine boards while Frank Martin scored all 20 of his points in the second half.

Becker never trailed and built up a big lead thanks to stifling defense and a strong first half from Durodola. The Hawks led 16-11 with 11:09 remaining in the stanza before ripping off a 14-2 run to push the margin to double digits. A bucket by Durodola—who finished with 16 points in the period—gave Becker its largest lead at 38-19 with 3:38 to go.

Mitchell trailed 44-28 at the break as McClean netted 18 points to keep his team in the game. The rest of the Mariners combined for only 10 points on 4-for-20 shooting.

After struggling in the first half, Hill and Martin combined for 45 of Mitchell's 57 points in the second. However, the Mariners didn't cut the deficit to single digits until the 5:54 mark following a layup by McClean. Mitchell later got as close as five points on a Martin three with a minute to play, and a Becker turnover yielded a chance at making it a one-possession game.

On the ensuing possession the Mariners missed a three and the rebound was snagged by Finney, who was fouled and made two shots at the free throw line. The Hawks closed out the game by going 8-for-10 at the charity stripe in the final 1:05 to secure the win.

Both teams have qualified for the 2016 NECC Championship, which begins with first round games on Tuesday, February 23. A complete bracket with seeding and game times will be released by the conference by the end of the weekend.