MBB Outlast Dean for Second Straight Win

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team won their second consecutive game on Tuesday evening, holding off Dean College 82-77 in a non-conference matchup at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Mariners, who carried a six-point advantage into halftime, led by as much as 11 down the stretch, but saw their lead trimmed to just three points with 1:26 remaining.

Sophomore Wilton Causey (Worcester, Mass.) put Mitchell ahead by five with a layup off an assist from Donte Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.), but two free throws by AJ Weston of the Bulldogs made it a three-point game once again just seconds later.

Senior Alfonzo Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) followed by making two big free throws of his own to give the Mariners a bit of breathing room. Again, Dean found their way to the line in the final seconds of the game, as Jakobi Greenlead went 2-2 to again trim the visitor's deficit to three.

However, in the final seconds Mitchell forced a turnover and Stokes hit a layup at the buzzer, giving the Mariners their second straight victory after a season opening loss on the road against Anna Maria.

Stokes led the Mariners with a game-high 26 points. It marks the second time in three games that the senior has reached the 20-point mark, and he also added five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the win. Mikey Buscetto (Waterford, Conn.) added 18 points and five assists, while Causey and Jalen Benson (New London, Conn.) joined them in double-figures, pouring in 10 and 11 points respectively. Senior Ahmani Browne (St. John's Antigua) scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds, providing a strong presence inside throughout the game.

Weston paced team with a team-best 20 points, and he was joined in double-figures by Greenleaf (17 points, nine rebounds), Jayden Madise (15 points, seven rebounds), and Malik Spearman (12 points, eight rebounds six assists).

The Mariners shot 41.6% from the field and were out rebounded 41-37, but Dean committed three more turnovers than Mitchell, and the home squad finished with 23 points off those turnovers.

Prior to the game, Director of Athletics Matt Finlayson and head men's basketball coach Todd Peretz presented a plaque to Mitchell senior guard Mikey Buscetto, who lead the NCAA throughout all divisions with the highest assists per-game average last season.  This accomplishment also resulted with Mikey being named the 2022 Cleo Hill Award winner. In his first season with the Mariners, Buscetto played in 25 games and made 23 starts while averaging 15.8 points and 8.4 assists per contest. He earned all-conference honors during the regular season and was named most outstanding player of the 2022 New England Collegiate Conference Championship, leading Mitchell to its third title and NCAA bid since 2014. Buscetto finished the season with 210 total assists, just three shy of the school's single season record.

Mitchell (2-1 overall) will be back in action on Friday, November 18 when they host Lehman College at 5:30 pm at the Yarnall Athletic Center. The Bulldogs (1-3 overall) will look to bounce back on Saturday, November 19, when they welcome Fitchburg State to Pieri Gymnasium.