MBB Falls to Dean on Senior Day

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team wrapped up the regular season with an 85-75 loss to Dean College on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Jordan Booker finished with 21 points and five assists as Dean improved to 17-8 overall (11-5 NECC) and earned a split of the season series. Armani Baker added a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds while Josh Croskey came off the bench to add 18 points and eight boards. Sean Odum and Dayvon Russell rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Domenico Santiago paced Mitchell (16-9 overall, 10-6 NECC) with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Hasani Williams also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards, and Leonard Williams came off the bench to supply a season-high 15 points. Steffen Brunson finished with 12 points.

Neither team led by more than five points in the opening half, which ended with Dean on top by a 42-37 margin. Baker scored 11 points to spark the visitors while Santiago led Mitchell with 11.

Booker drilled a three-pointer to start the second half, but the Mariners responded with seven unanswered to pull within one after just 2:37. Minutes later, Mitchell took over the lead on a jumper by Brunson, the first of four lead changes over a 1:30 stretch.

It was a jumper by Booker at the 12:47 mark that gave Dean a 53-51 edge, and the visitors never trailed again. The bucket was part of a 9-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 58-51 lead following a fast-break layup by Odum with 11:44 to go.

Dean never let the lead dip below five over the final 10 minutes of the contest. Leonard Williams did his best to keep the Mariners in the game, scoring 13 of his 15 points after intermission.

Both teams have qualified for next week's NECC Championship. The fourth-seeded Mariners will host fifth-seeded Southern Vermont College on Tuesday, February 19 at 8 p.m. Third-seeded Dean will host sixth-seeded Newbury College in Tuesday's other first-round match-up.

Prior to the game, the Mariners honored three seniors – Santiago, Brunson and Evan Bing – who were playing in their final regular season home game. Santiago also became the school's all-time career leader in rebounds in contest, passing previous record holder Joshua Ford '15.