MBB Comes Up Short at Westfield State

WESTFIELD, Mass. – A shorthanded Mitchell College men's basketball team suffered an 86-76 setback to Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference showdown at the Woodward Center.

Kuany Teng scored 24 points to lead a balanced team effort as the Owls improved to 7-2 overall. Teng shot 5-12 from behind the three-point arc, and dished out five assists with three steals.

Mitchell, playing for the first time since November 21, dropped to 3-4 on the year. Alfonzo Stokes finished with a career-high 24 points to lead the Mariners. Hunter Baillargeon and Dontae Pollard each added a season-high 14 points, and Jalen Benson turned in a solid all-around game with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Owls jumped out to a 37-24 halftime lead behind 14 points from Teng, and Mitchell shot just 9-for-35 (25.7 pct) from the floor and 0-for-6 from three in the opening stanza.

The pace of the game accelerated in the second half, and the Mariners trimmed the Westfield lead down to just four points, 61-57, after a Pollard layup with 8:11 left in the game. The Mariners got as close as three at 73-70 when Benson hit one of two from the line with 3:24 to play.

The Owls responded with a 9-0 spurt, fueled by a dunk and a putback from Brendon Hamilton to extend the lead to 82-70 with 55 seconds left. Hamilton, who ranks in the top ten in the country in rebounds per game, had another monster game with 21 points, 19 rebounds and three blocked shots, while shooting 8-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the line.

Justin Rennis added 16 points, Jeremy Remigio 11 and Joe Meade came off the bench to provide 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with four assists and four blocked shots.

Mitchell will next host Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m.