Mitchell Men Hold Off Elms
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Elms (6-9, 4-3 NECC) | 39 | 47 | 86 |
|
Mitchell (10-3, 7-0 NECC) | 42 | 52 | 94 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up a 94-86 victory over Elms College on Thursday evening in New England Collegiate Conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Mitchell (10-3 overall, 7-0 NECC) extended its winning streak to eight games. The Mariners went to the free throw line 25 more times than the Blazers (6-9 overall, 4-3 NECC) and outscored them by a 26-8 margin at the charity stripe.
Senior Joshua Ford and junior Parris Hill each posted double-doubles for the home team. Ford finished with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds while Hill added 22 points and 10 boards. Senior Alex Del Rio chipped in with 14 points while classmate Anthony Epps contributed 12.
Andre French led four Elms players in double figures with 20 points and handed out five assists. Isaiah Odunlami shot 7-for-8 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds to go with 19 points and three steals, and Derek Murphy and Conny Ihearahu each finished with 18 points.
Elms raced out to an early lead by getting several easy baskets in transition. A lay-up by Ihearahu put the Blazers up 19-11 just 5:25 into the contest and forced Mitchell to take its second timeout. The Mariners regrouped and, behind the inside play of Ford, cut the deficit to three by the 11:15 mark.
Later in the half, Elms led by the same margin before reeling off six straight points to take its largest lead at 34-25 with 6:47 remaining. However, Mitchell responded with the next nine points to tie the game, with freshman Damion Hewitt capping the run by battling for three straight offensive rebounds before finishing off the glass for a lay-in.
The Mariners took their first lead on a free throw by junior Hector Aleman with 2:17 to go and held a slim 42-39 advantage at the break. Aleman and Hewitt combined for 10 points in the half to give Mitchell a spark off the bench, and Ford had 10 by himself to lead the home team. French led Elms with 13 points in the opening half and drilled three treys.
Mitchell never trailed in the second half and led 68-61 when Ford went to the bench with his fourth foul with 10:56 to play. The lead hovered around seven for the next four minutes, until back-to-back lay-ups by Odunlami pulled Elms to within three at 76-73 with 6:13 to go.
The Mariners held the lead until Ford re-entered the game at the 4:46 mark. Mitchell then scored eight straight to take its largest lead of the night at 87-74 with just over three minutes remaining. Hill scored the first five points of the run while Del Rio and Ford added free throws.
Things looked bleak for the Blazers when French fouled out with 3:13 remaining, but Murphy buried consecutive threes during a 10-second span to give his team life. Elms later cut the deficit to four on a jumper by Ihearahu with 1:04 to go, but it would be as close as it would get. Mitchell closed out the game by going 3-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 50 seconds to ice the win.
Mitchell's bench was a key to the victory, outscoring Elms' by a 21-2 margin. Aleman and senior Alex Pires each finished with six points while Hewitt grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds to go with four points.
Mitchell will next host the City College of New York on Sunday, January 19 at 2 p.m. Elms returns to action at home against Becker College on Saturday, January 18 at 1 p.m.
