MBB Rallies to Beat Westfield State for Seventh Straight Win

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team rallied from a nine-point deficit with under a minute and a half remaining to outlast Westfield State 80-79 in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Alfonzo Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) scored a team-high 25 points on 10-15 shooting to lead the Mariners, marking the fourth game this season that the senior has finished with 20 or more points. Fellow senior Mikey Buscetto (Waterford, Conn.) filled the stat sheet to the tune of eight points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Jacob Narvaez (Miramar, Fla.) and Wilton Causey (Worcester, Mass.) both came off the bench to contribute eight points apiece.

Robert Zirlis (Clinton, Conn.), Ahmani Browne (St. John's, Antigua), and Jalen Benson (New London, Conn.) each added seven points, while Benson finished with six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

After trailing for the majority of the second half and by as many as 11 down the stretch, the Mariners found themselves down 75-66 with one minute and 20 seconds remaining. Moments later, Stokes drained a corner three off an assist by Mikey Buscetto, and drew a foul. The senior completed the four-point play to make it a five-point game, and then with just under a minute left Buscetto drove to the basket, made a layup, and drew the foul. The free throw by the senior was good, and Mitchell trailed 75-73.

Kumar Brown followed with a layup of his own, pushing the Owls back ahead by four, but Buscetto responded by nailing a deep three from the top of the arc off the Bishop Taylor (Aberdeen, MD) assist, and just like that it was a one-point game with 20 seconds remaining.

Mitchell then took the lead, 78-77, on a tip in by Causey with just under 10 seconds left in the game. Following this basket, Jeremy Remigio of Westfield State was called for a foul and subsequently a technical was assessed to Mitchell's Bishop Taylor. Both Remigio and Taylor made both of their free throws, and Kumar Brown's layup attempt at the buzzer was unsuccessful, allowing the Mariners to escape with their seventh consecutive victory.  

The seven game winning streak is the longest for the Mitchell men's basketball team since the 2013-2014 season when the Mariners reeled off nine straight victories on route to a 19-8 overall record.

JT Thompson led all scorers with 27 points for the Owls, and he was joined in double figures by Brown (13 points, eight rebounds), and Timmy Jacobus (10 points).

The Mariners (7-1) will look to keep their winning streak alive on Wednesday, December 7^th, when they travel to the United States Coast Guard Academy for a non-conference game against their cross-town rivals. Westfield State (1-7) will attempt to bounce back on Monday, December 12^th, when they visit St. Joseph University.