Strong Second Half Pushes Webber Past Men’s Basketball
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (2-9, 0-1) | 51 | 41 | 92 |
|
Webber Int'l (11-2, 0-0) | 46 | 53 | 99 |
LAKELAND, Fla. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped their final game of 2023 on Wednesday evening, falling to Webber International University 99-92 in a non-conference showdown on the campus of Southeastern University. With the loss, the Mariners head into the holiday break with a 2-9 record.
Junior Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) once again led the Mariners with a team-high 26 points, shooting 52.6% (10-19) from the floor and 50% (3-6) from three-point territory. Clardy added three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while senior Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) surpassed 20 points for the second time this season, finishing with 21 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Brandon Lee (Stockton, Cali.) chipped in 13 points, six rebounds, and nine assists for the Mariners, while junior Robert Zirlis (Clinton, Conn.) recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards.
A back and forth first half had Mitchell in the lead by five points at the intermission. Trailing 51-46, the Warriors opened the second frame with six straight points to take the lead. Jaylyn Clardy then knocked down a jump shot for the Mariners, but Webber went on a 14-9 run over the next five minutes to take a four-point advantage with just under 13 minutes remaining.
The two teams continued to trade leads down the stretch, and Mitchell found themselves with a three-point lead with 5:09 on the clock when freshman Zhangir Dyussenov (Astana, Kazakhstan) drilled a three-pointer. Eden Holt answered with a three ball of his own to tie the score then hit a jumper to put the Warriors back on top, but Brandon Lee converted on a layup to knot the score at 88-88 with 4:10 left. Webber began to pull away over the next minute and a half, using a Tyrone Nesby IV three-pointer, a Mitchell turnover, and a Nesby IV layup to jump ahead by five, leading to a timeout by the Mariners at the 2:40 mark.
Coming out of the timeout, the Warriors forced a turnover and K'shun Stokes made a layup to make it a 95-88 game, and home squad sealed the victory with free throws in the final seconds.
The 92 points were the most scored by the Mariners this season and their 51.9% shooting from the floor also was a season best figure. Both teams turned in strong shooting efforts, as Mitchell shot 44.4% from three-point territory and Webber was 15-30 from downtown.
Tyrone Nesby IV led all scorers with 30 points, shooting 5-12 from three-point range. Eden Holt had 17 points, four rebounds, and six assists, while K'Shun Stokes (19 points) and Cooper Peterson (15 points) contributed 34 points off the bench.
The Mariners (2-9, 0-1 GNAC) will pause for the Christmas holiday before resuming GNAC play on Saturday, January 6th, with a game at Johnson & Wales University. Webber (11-1) return to the court on Sunday, December 31st, when they host Missouri Baptist.
