Starters Lead MBB to Win Over Wheelock

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College never trailed in a 101-90 victory over Wheelock College on Wednesday night in New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Domenico Santiago scored a career-high 34 points on 16-for-19 shooting, one of five Mariners in double figures in the contest. Alan Morgan added a season-high 18 points to go with a game-high seven assists while Hasani Williams contributed 17 points. Brayvon Young and Steffen Brunson each chipped in 10 points as the Mitchell starters accounted for all but 12 points on the night.

Rookies Brendan Miller and Erick Hernandez fueled the Wheelock offense. Miller finished with a season-high 25 points and nine rebounds and shot 11-for-20 from the field. Hernandez netted 14 of his season-high 18 points in the second half and shot 6-for-10. Dejuan Rodriguez and Kadeem Apply also scored in double figures with 13 points apiece.

Mitchell scored on its first three possessions and led by double digits just 5:10 into the game. Santiago scored the first 10 points for the Mariners, who took a 49-34 lead into the locker room at intermission. Santiago was dominant in the half, shooting 10-for-10 from the floor to lead all scorers with 20 points.

Hernandez gave the Wildcats a spark early in the second half, draining a pair of threes in the opening 2:07 of the stanza. However, the Mariners kept their cushion to double digits for the entire half, taking their largest lead of the game at 89-69 on a three-pointer by Morgan with 6:06 remaining. Wheelock used full-court pressure to cut the deficit down in the final minutes, but Mitchell held on to secure a sweep of the regular season series for the first time since 2014.

Mitchell shot a season-high 59 percent and finished with a 43-31 edge on the glass. Santiago grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to record his 12th double-double of the season. Williams also finished with 12 boards to notch his 13th double-double of the year.

Mitchell (12-10 overall, 8-3 NECC) will next play at Southern Vermont College on Saturday, February 10 at 1 p.m. Wheelock (3-18 overall, 2-9 NECC) returns to action at home against Elms College on Saturday at noon.