WBB Pulls Away From Newbury in Second Half

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College used a strong third quarter to pull away from Newbury College on Wednesday night, winning by a 66-56 final in New England Collegiate Conference women's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Mariners (6-7 overall, 5-3 NECC) led 35-29 at intermission and outscored the Nighthawks 15-8 in the third to take control of the contest. Savannah Boyle netted five of her team- and season-high 17 points in the stanza as Mitchell won for the fifth time in six games. Amanda Garcia and Diamond Thomas each tacked on 11 points while Chelsea Newman finished with 10.

Newbury (4-11, 3-5 NECC) was paced by Destiny Spears, who notched a double-double with game highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Jovanna Sandifer chipped in with 11 points while Savannah Olsen added 10.

Mitchell never trailed in the opening quarter and held a 14-10 lead at the end of 10 minutes. The Mariners bumped the margin to five in the early stages of the second, but the Nighthawks countered with a 12-2 run over a 2:46 span to vault in front. Katelyn Roeser drained a pair of three-pointers during the stretch while Sandifer added two buckets.

Newbury's lead didn't last long, as Mitchell tied the game at 24-24 on a three-pointer by Kate McCormack with 3:28 to play in the half. After a free throw put the Nighthawks back up by one, the Mariners took the lead for good as Boyle scored 10 of her team's final 11 points of the half for the 35-29 advantage at the break.

Mitchell pushed the margin to double digits in the final minute of the third quarter on a layup by Newman and closed the stanza with a jumper by Boyle. The Mariners led by as many as 17 in the final period and finished the game shooting a season-high 42 percent from the floor.

Mitchell won the battle in the paint, outscoring Newbury 26-14 while holding a 49-33 edge on the glass. Garcia grabbed 12 rebounds to secure her second double-double of the season. Boyle added nine boards while Newman pulled down eight, and Thomas finished with six rebounds to go with five assists and two blocks.

Mitchell will next play at Becker College on Saturday, January 23 at 1 p.m. Newbury returns to action at home against Wheelock College at noon.