Career Day for Williams Spurs MBB to First Win

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon in the consolation game of the Hampton Inn Jim Beaudry Classic, besting Regis College by a 95-79 final at Alfond Forum.

Hasani Williams turned in a career-high 36 points on 14-for-23 shooting and also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to lead the charge. He was one of five Mariners who scored in double digits on the day, as Jacob Tully chipped in a career-high 15 points, Brendan Miller added 11 and Dra Harrison and Jalen Benson each contributed 10. Mitchell shot 52 percent as a team and held Regis to just 37 percent from the floor. Jalil Wilkerson paced the Pride (0-2 overall) with 19 points while Marc Trinidad supplied a double-double of 14 points and a game-high 13 boards.

For the second straight game the Mariners came out of the blocks slow. Regis scored 11 of the game's first 13 points, causing Mitchell coach Todd Peretz to call a timeout just 3:21 into the contest. The Mariners trailed by as many as 14 before roaring back to take their first lead at 33-32 on a layup by Williams with 4:24 left in the half. A three-pointer by Dimitri Rosa put the Pride back on top in the final minute of the stanza, and they held a slim 44-42 advantage at the break.

Mitchell scored the first six points of the second half and never trailed again. Minutes later a 7-0 run opened up a 60-53 lead and gave the Mariners some breathing room. Regis stayed within striking distance until a layup by Miller made it a 10-point game with 6:38 remaining, and Mitchell coasted to the finish to claim its first win of the year.

The Mariners finished with 23 assists on 34 field goals, with Benson supplying six and Miller and Matt Finke each handing out five apiece. Williams, who averaged a team-high 26.5 points and 8.0 rebounds over the weekend, was named to the all-tournament team. 

Mitchell (1-1 overall) will next play at Coast Guard Academy on Thursday, November 21 at 6 p.m.