MBB Rides Second-Half Surge to Victory at Lesley

MBB Rides Second-Half Surge to Victory at Lesley

MEDFORD, Mass. -- The Mitchell College men's basketball team came away with an 85-61 victory over Lesley University on Wednesday night in New England Collegiate Conference action at Medford High School.

Mitchell led by eight at halftime and outscored Lesley 41-25 in the second half to pull away. Steffen Brunson netted 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting to lead four Mariners in double figures. Starters Hasani Williams and Matt Finke finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Landon Peabody added 13 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

Lesley's Joey Martin led all scorers with 19 points while Chase Howard chipped in 17.

It was a jumper by Peabody with 12 minutes remaining in the opening half that snapped a 15-15 deadlock and put Mitchell in front for good. Later in the stanza the Mariners built a cushion behind an 11-2 run that yielded a 40-29 lead with 3:18 left in the period. 

Brunson capped the first-half scoring with a jumper in the final minute that gave the Mariners a 44-36 lead at the break. Both he and Peabody paced Mitchell with nine points in the half.

The Mariners padded the margin in the first six minutes of the second half, outscoring the Lynx 18-8 to go up 62-44 following a jumper by Connel Henderson. The lead grew to as many as 32 before Mitchell emptied the bench with five minutes to play. 

Peabody wasn't the only reserve to contribute in the contest. The Mitchell bench outscored Lesley's by a 32-13 margin. Marvin Baker finished with six points and five rebounds while Leonard Williams added five points and a team-high eight boards. 

Mitchell will next play at Southern Vermont College on Wednesday, February 13 at 7 p.m.