MBB Holds On Against Elms

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College hung on for a 66-63 victory over Elms College on Saturday afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball showdown at the Yarnall Athletic Center. 

Malik Chase netted a game- and career-high 22 points and shot 6-for-9 from deep to lead Mitchell, which has won three straight games and five of its last six. Matt Finke and Brendan Miller chipped in 11 points apiece and combined for 15 rebounds.

D.J. Edelen paced Elms with 14 points and eight boards but saw limited floor time due to foul trouble. Ahmad Conner added 11 points in a starting role while Justin Feliciano came off the bench to contribute 10.

Neither team led by more than seven points in a contest that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes, the majority of which came in the opening half. Mitchell led by six late in the first before Elms ripped off an 11-2 run to close the stanza. A three-pointer by Will Leach capped the spurt and gave the Blazers a 34-31 lead at the break.

Elms bumped the margin to as many as seven early in the second half. However, Mitchell responded with 12 straight points to take over the lead for good. Chase ignited the run with a layup and later added a three as the Mariners pulled ahead by five.

The Blazers stayed within striking distance and had chances late. A triple by Nikolas Brown cut the deficit to one with 5:26 to go, and on their next possession the Blazers had a chance to grab the lead. Dra Harrison came through with a big sequence to keep the Mariners on top, blocking a shot on the defensive end before hustling up the floor for an offensive rebound and put-back.

Chase's final three-pointer came with 3:37 left and gave Mitchell some breathing room at 63-59. The Mariners kept the cushion until a three by Edelen brought Elms back within one at 64-63 with 29 seconds to play. 

A layup by Connel Henderson provided the last points of the game with 21 ticks left, but the final moments held plenty of drama. Mitchell failed to ice the game at the free throw line, allowing the Blazers one more crack at the game-tying three in the closing seconds. Elms got the ball to the corner for the attempt, but Finke reached out with his right hand to swat the ball away at the buzzer.

Mitchell (7-11 overall, 4-1 NECC) will next play at Eastern Nazarene College on Wednesday, January 29 at 7 p.m. Elms (5-13 overall, 1-4 NECC) returns to action at Dean College on Wednesday at 6 p.m.