Men’s Basketball Ends Semester by Defeating Wildcats
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (8-3) | 42 | 37 | 79 |
|
Johnson & Wales (RI) (2-5) | 32 | 40 | 72 |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team closed out the fall semester by topping Johnson & Wales University 79-72 in a non-conference game on Thursday night at the Wildcat Center. The Mariners head into the holiday break with an 8-3 overall record, having already surpassed their win total from last season.
Senior Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) paced the Mariners with a team-high 22 points. Junior Eddie Volkerts (New London, Conn.) added 19 points and nine rebounds, while fellow junior Brandon Lee (Stockton, Cali.) registered his first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
After Mitchell pulled ahead by 10 at halftime, JWU opened the second half on a 19-9 run to pull even at 51, and took their first lead of the game at 58-56 on a layup from Jonah Phang. Mitchell went ahead for good with 7:12 remaining in the second half and stretched its lead to seven with less than four minutes on the clock. RJ Jones trimmed the JWU deficit to two points by sinking a layup with 1:45 on the clock, but Jaylyn Clardy answered right back with a jumper, extending the Mitchell lead to four. A pair of free throws by Josh Zangerle with 1:06 remaining made it a two-point game once again, but an Eddie Volkerts layup, followed by two free-throws from the junior, iced the game and secured Mitchell's eighth win of the season.
Despite shooting below 40% from the floor, Mitchell outrebounded the Wildcats 43-41 and forced 18 JWU turnovers.
Josh Zangerle led all scorers with 25 points on 8-16 shooting for the Wildcats.
The Mariners (8-3, 0-0 GNAC) will return to the court on Saturday, January 4, when they open Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on the road against Lasell University. The Wildcats (2-5, 0-0 GNAC) play next on Thursday, December 19, when they face The College of Wooster in Hawaii.
