MBB Tops St. Joseph's For First Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (1-2) | 32 | 49 | 81 |
|
St. Joseph's (Brkln) (0-2) | 35 | 43 | 78 |
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- The Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday at the Eastern Tip-Off Tournament, topping St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) by an 81-78 final.
Alfonzo Stokes paced the Mariners (1-2 overall) with career highs of 23 points and five assists. Jacob Tully scored 19 points on 9-for-10 shooting, and Jalen Benson filled out the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and six steals.
St. Joseph's led by as many as eight points in the first half before Mitchell closed the gap late. A jumper by Tully in the final seconds of the half cut the deficit to 35-32 at the break.
Mitchell grabbed the lead in early in the second half on a jumper by Jaiden Kimbro, but the Bears pulled back in front shortly thereafter. The Mariners kept within striking distance, however, and eventually used a 10-1 run to lead 65-61 with 6:21 to go.
Mitchell never trailed again, but the Bears kept things interesting down the stretch. Mikey Buscetto and Stokes each converted a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the win.
Stokes and Tully combined for 31 of Mitchell's 49 second-half points. Buscetto, who handed out eight assists, netted seven of his nine points in the final half.
Mitchell will next play at Dean College on Wednesday, November 17 at 6:00 p.m.
