Men’s Basketball Drops Season Opener to Camels
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Connecticut Col. (1-0,0-0 NESCAC) | 43 | 31 | 74 |
|
Mitchell (0-1,0-0 Great No) | 26 | 39 | 65 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team opened up their season by suffering a 74-65 defeat against crosstown rival Connecticut College on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
The Mariners outscored the Camels 39-31 in the second half, but were unable to make up the needed ground after trailing by 17 at halftime. Sophomore Brandon Lee (Stockton, Cali.) paced the home team by recording his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Lee shot 6-12 from the floor and was one of three Mariners to finish in double-figures scoring, as senior Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) chipped in 12 points, and junior Robert Zirlis (Clinton, Conn.) added 10 and eight rebounds. Additionally, junior Wilton Causey (Worcester, Mass.) notched seven points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench.
The Camels came out of the gate on fire, scoring the first eight points of the game before a free throw by junior Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) put the Mariners on the board. It was all Conn in the first half, however, as the visiting squad shot 6-13 from long range over the first 20 minutes, while Mitchell shot just 37% from the floor.
Entering the second half down 43-26, the Mariners began chipping away and were able to trim the deficit to 10 points when Brandon Lee grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the put back to make it a 56-46 game with 8:48 remaining. A pair of free throws then put the Camel's back ahead by 12, but Wilton Causey made a layup off a Jaylyn Clardy assist to again make it a 10-point game, this time with 7:44 on the clock. Just under two minutes later, baskets by Lee and Causey had the Mariners trialing by six, the closest they had been since the opening of the game, and unfortunately the closest they would come to catching the Camels. Back to back Conn baskets followed to make it a 10-point game once again, and despite going 0-10 from three-point territory across the second half, they were able to withstand the Mitchell charge, shooting 7-8 from the charity stripe over the final two and a half minutes.
Sophomore Elias Espinosa finished with a game-high 19 points for the Camels, and added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Senior Ben Rice notched his first double-double of the season posting 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, while senior Jarron Flynn (11 points, five assists, three steals) and junior Cam Schainfeld (10 points, five assists, three steals) also finished in double-figures.
The Mariners shot 44.4% from the floor, 36.4% from deep, and 62.5% from the free throw line. Mitchell won the rebounding battle 36-29, handed out eight more assists than the Camels, yet committed 21 turnovers, which led to 20 Conn points.
The Mariners (0-1, 0-0 GNAC) will return to action on Friday, November 17th, when they host Westfield State in a non-conference matchup to begin the Cadet-Mariner Classic. The Camels (1-0, 0-0 NESCAC) are set to return to the court on Tuesday, November 14th, when they travel to New York for a game against Purchase College.
