WBB Holds On Against Eastern Nazarene

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College women's basketball team held on for a 62-55 victory over Eastern Nazarene College on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Mitchell (2-2 overall) led by as many as 10 points in the second half before Eastern Nazarene whittled the margin down to two at 54-52 with 2:29 to play. The Mariners, however, scored eight of the final 11 points to seal the win, with senior Alix O'Neil going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minutes to cap a career-high 25-point performance.

Dianna Bonds scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds to pace the Lady Lions (0-5 overall). Shardae Brown also posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

The Mariners took a 6-4 lead early in the contest and never trailed again. Mitchell shot just 24 percent from the floor in the stanza but couldn't push the lead to more than six points. Eastern Nazarene, which shot 27 percent in the half, trailed 24-18 at the break.

The Lady Lions tied the game at 32-32 with 11:44 remaining, but Mitchell responded with seven straight points to stay in front. O'Neil hit a jumper during the stretch while senior Kailee Hyde converted a left-handed layup off an assist by classmate Marjorie Oliveira.

Trailing 46-36 with 7:40 to go, Eastern Nazarene rallied back behind the play of Brown, Bonds and Julianne Atwater. The Lady Lions scored on three straight possessions, with Brown getting things started with a layup underneath. She then found Atwater open for a three-pointer on the next possession, and Bonds finished the run with a jumper to pull Eastern Nazarene to within three at 46-43.

The Mariners stayed in front, though, and played well in crunch time. O'Neill connected on a pair of freebies with 2:09 to play to put Mitchell up by four, and senior Allison Peck followed with a clutch jumper from the wing to up the lead to six.

O'Neil, who went 9-of-10 from the charity stripe for the game, netted 17 of Mitchell's 38 points in the second half. She also finished with a team-high 10 rebounds to notch her second career double-double. Peck also finished in double digits with 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Eastern Nazarene committed 29 turnovers but shot 39 percent for the contest. The Mariners shot just 35 percent from the floor but held a 21-7 edge in free throws made.

Mitchell returns to action at home against Saint Joseph College (Conn.) on Thursday, December 2 at 7 p.m.