MBB Sails Past Lesley

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team coasted to its largest margin of the victory of the season on Wednesday night, besting Lesley University by a 104-59 final in New England Collegiate Conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Jalen Benson led four Mariners in double figures with 18 points, 12 of which came in the opening half. Dra Harrison came off the bench to net a season-high 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting while Alfonzo Stokes and Matt Finke added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Chase Howard paced Lesley with 18 points while Treyvon Trent finished with 10. The Lynx committed 25 turnovers and shot just 30 percent from the field.

Lesley got off to a quick start and went up 8-2 after the opening 1:20 as Trent and Howard each knocked down three-pointers. Mitchell soon pulled in front with an 11-0 run that included a pair of buckets from both Leonard Williams and Finke to go up 16-10 with 13:48 left in the half.

The Mariners broke the game open with 14-0 spurt midway through the stanza. Benson, who drilled a pair of triples during the stretch, capped things off with a layup that made it 32-16 with 8:42 to go.

Mitchell shot 50 percent in the half and led 50-29 at the break. Benson's 12 points led all scorers at intermission.

The Mariners led by as many as 51 points in the second half and pulled their starters early in the stanza. The reserves brought the win home and combined for 59 points on the night. 

Mitchell dominated the paint, outscoring Lesley by a 64-16 margin while owning a 50-30 edge in rebounds. The Mariners shot 55 percent from the field and handed out 25 assists on 39 total field goals.

Mitchell (6-11 overall, 3-1 NECC) will next host Elms College on Saturday, January 25 at 1 p.m. Lesley (0-15 overall, 0-4 NECC) returns to action at home against Dean College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.