MBB Runs Away from Lesley in Overtime

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Mitchell College men's basketball team outscored Lesley University by a 19-6 margin in overtime to come away with a 94-81 victory on Sunday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference play.

The Mariners (4-17 overall, 4-8 NECC) trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half but battled back to take the lead on a jumper by Brayvon Young with under 30 seconds left in regulation. After the Lynx forced overtime with a free throw, Mitchell scored the first eight points of extra time to seize control.

Young and Domenico Santiago each scored 19 points to lead the Mariners. Santiago also grabbed 13 rebounds to record his 10th double-double of the season. Geary McLeod added 17 points off the bench while Hasani Williams finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards. Alan Morgan added nine points and a game-high nine assists.

Mitchell led in the early going but fell behind after an 8-0 run by Lesley yielded a 21-13 lead with 11:11 to go in the first half.  The Mariners struggled on the offensive end and shot just 29 percent in the first half, and the Lynx took a 38-28 lead into the locker room at the break.

A layup by Devon Mayo gave Lesley a 46-30 lead in the opening minutes of the second half. The margin was still 16 when Charlie Reznikoff canned a jumper with 8:42 to play, although the Mariners responded with a 14-2 run over the next 3:22 to cut the deficit to four at 68-64. Williams got things rolling with back-to-back jumpers while Santiago scored seven points during the stretch.

Young came up big in the final minutes of regulation for Mitchell. He made a shot to pull the visitors within one with 1:13 to go, and he later made a steal on the defensive end before sinking the go-ahead basket.

In overtime, Mack Bertram-Gregory got the Mariners going with a triple on the opening possession. Morgan then added a three in between a pair of buckets by Young, and Mitchell coasted to the finish by going 9-for-10 at the free throw line.

Mitchell will next host Daniel Webster College on Tuesday, February 14 at 5 p.m.