MBB Tops Newbury for Fifth Straight Win

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College extended its winning streak to five games with an 88-79 victory over Newbury College on Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Steffen Brunson led all scorers with 26 points and shot 5-for-9 from long range to lead the Mariners, who improved to 12-6 overall (7-3 NECC). Domenico Santiago and Hasani Williams each contributed double-doubles. Santiago finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds and also dished out four assists while Williams tacked on 12 points and 11 boards. Landon Peabody netted 11 points off the bench to round out Mitchell's double-digit scorers.

Omar Williams led Newbury (6-10 overall, 3-6 NECC) with 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting. Tank Roberson and Francisco Santiago chipped in 12 points apiece while Pierce Weatherspoon tallied 10 points and a game-high five blocks. Tim Deng also gave a strong effort on the glass with a game-high 14 rebounds to go with nine points.

Mitchell shot 49 percent as a team in the first half and led 44-37 at the break. Brunson led all scorers at intermission with 13 points while Omar Williams paced the Nighthawks with 11.

Newbury opened the second half with six straight points to cut the margin to one. Minutes later the visitors took their first lead since the game's opening possession after Omar Williams drove the lane and dished off to Deng for a dunk that made it 48-46.

The score was tied at 50-50 when Mitchell went on an 8-0 run to seize control. Santiago provided the first five points of the stretch and Brunson added the final three with a trey from the left wing.

Minutes later, the Mariners continued to build the lead behind a 16-1 stretch that saw Brunson, Peabody and Leonard Williams all drill threes. Brunson capped the spurt with a pair of free throws that put Mitchell on top 74-53 with 7:07 remaining.

Newbury's offense went silent during Mitchell's explosive run. The Nighthawks missed nine straight shots and went nearly 7:30 without a field goal.

After Mitchell emptied its bench with just over two minutes to go, Newbury scored 13 of the next 14 points to whittle the deficit back to single digits. However, time eventually ran out for the Nighthawks, who saw a three-game winning streak come to an end.

Mitchell will next play at Eastern Nazarene College on Saturday, January 26 at 1 p.m. Newbury returns to action at home against New England College on Saturday at 3 p.m.