Men’s Basketball Surges Past AMCATS to Fourth Straight Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anna Maria | 35 | 22 | 57 |
|
Mitchell | 42 | 36 | 78 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up their fourth consecutive win to begin the 2024-25 season on Tuesday night, surging past Anna Maria College 78-57 in a non-conference clash between the two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) schools at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
With the win, the Mariners are off to the first 4-0 start in the Division III era of the program.
Junior Eddie Volkerts (New London, Conn.) led all scorers with 19 points on 7-12 shooting, including a red-hot 4-7 mark from downtown. Volkerts added nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in the win. Senior Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) chipped in 15 points, eight boards, four assists, and two steals, while freshman Collin Jefferson (Orlando, Fla.) turned in the best game of his collegiate career, netting 11 points on 5-8 shooting, to go along with a pair of assists.
Early on, the matchup between the Mariners and AMCATS was a back and forth affair, with the two squads trading leads over the majority of the opening half. Trailing by one with 2:27 remaining until halftime, Mitchell went ahead for good on back-to-back three-pointers by Jaylyn Clardy, which swung the Mariners from a one-point deficit to a five-point advantage. Eddie Volkerts knocked down a triple in the final seconds of the half to put the home team ahead 42-35 at intermission, and the Mariners picked right up where they left off in the second half, scoring the first points of the frame on a jumper by Collin Jefferson.
From there, the Mariners were in total control, leading by as much as 31 down the stretch, as 17 players saw the court and 10 registered at least one basket. Mitchell shot 40.5% from the floor and held a commanding edge from beyond the arc, making 11-22 from downtown to just 1-12 for the AMCATS. The Mariners also outrebounded Anna Maria 46-32 and outscored the AMCATS 34-28 in the paint.
Sean Zabari paced the AMCATS with 12 points off the bench, while Gabriel Armstead and Yuki Efosa finished with eight points and six rebounds apiece.
The Mariners (4-0, 0-0 GNAC) will return to the court on Wednesday, November 20, when they travel north for a showdown with the College of Holy Cross, a Division I team out of the Patriot League. The AMCATS (0-4, 0-0 GNAC) play next on Friday, November 22, when they visit Wesleyan University for a non-conference game against the Cardinals.
