Men’s Basketball Sinks Pratt for First Win of the Season

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team collected their first victory of the season at home on Saturday afternoon, sinking the Pratt Institute 76-63 in a non-conference showdown at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Junior Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) poured in a team-high 19 points for the Mariners, who took a 5-4 edge four minutes into the game and never looked back, leading the remainder of the contest.

Clardy added 12 assists, five rebounds, and two steals, notching his first double-double of the season, while junior Robert Zirlis (Clinton, Conn.) also produced a double-double, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) added 16 points and nine boards for Mitchell, while freshman Elijah Miller (Ellington, Conn.) chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Mariners controlled the first half, leading by as much as 15, and carried a 40-28 advantage into the locker room. The Cannoneers chipped away and were able to trim the deficit to six points on two occasions; six minutes into the frame and with 7:02 remaining, but the Mariners answered both times and did not allow Pratt to get any closer.

The Mariners turned in one of their better shooting outings of the winter, finishing 40.8% from the floor, a season-high 46.7% from downtown, and were 7-11 from the free throw line. Mitchell was also able to utilize their size as an advantage, outrebounding the Cannoneers 45-29.

Patrick O'Gorman paced the Cannoneers with a game-high 23 points, to go along with five assists, and four rebounds. Cameron Windt was only other Pratt player to finish with double-figures scoring with 10 points. Mekhi Davis added nine points off the bench, which Quinn McCormick grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the loss.

The Mariners (1-7, 0-1 GNAC) will return to action on Thursday, December 14th, when they travel for a non-conference game against Purchase College. The Cannoneers (6-6, 0-0 ECAC) return to play on Friday, January 5th, with a road game at St. Joseph's University-New York (L.I.).

The Mitchell College Department of Athletics was also happy to announce the winners of the annual Athletics Raffle at halftime, a fundraiser which raised over $18,500 this year.

This year's grand prize was a $2,000 American Express gift card. Other prizes included a 43-inch television, an Amazon Fire tablet and an Amazon Echo smart speaker.

Grand Prize ($2,000 AMEX Gift Card) - Patricia Beloff
2nd Prize (43" Television) - Jennifer Hayes
3rd Prize (Amazon Fire Tablet) - Blythe Hill
4th Prize (Amazon Echo Smart Speaker) - Omi Gonzalez

All money raised through the raffle benefits all our Mitchell student-athletes and programs. Thank you to all who participated!