Men’s Basketball Tripped Up at Elms
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (10-6,4-3 Great Northeast) | 28 | 35 | 63 |
|
Elms (3-13,3-2 Great Northeast) | 32 | 34 | 66 |
CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team rallied from a 15 point second half deficit to tie the game in the final moments but were unable to complete the comeback, falling to Elms College 66-63 on the road in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Tuesday night at Picknelly Arena.
Junior Eddie Volkerts (New London, Conn.) posted his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and four steals, while senior Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) matched Volkerts with 12 points of his own. Senior Wilton Causey (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in 10 points for the Mariners, while freshman Abdul Mansaray added eight points, five rebounds, and one block off the bench.
After a competitive first half which saw seven ties and four lead changes, the Blazers held a narrow four-point lead at the intermission, 32-28. Coming out of the locker room, the Elms offense erupted, as the Blazers outscored the Mariners 26-15 over the first nine minutes of the second half, leading to a Mitchell timeout at the 10:46 mark with the home team on top 58-43.
The Mariners began to chip away at the deficit, using a 17-4 run to make it a two-point game with 3:20 on the clock. With just under two and a half minutes to go, Mitchell knotted the score on a layup by Abdul Mansaray, but the Mariners were unable to leap in front. Coming out of an Elms timeout with 31 seconds left in regulation, the Blazers took the lead for good on a three pointer by Andrew Ciaglo, before Aaron Sanchez added a free throw for insurance in the final 10 seconds.
Ciaglo led all scorers with 20 points, while Sanchez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Aden Goffe pulled down a game-high 17 boards for Elms, who collected their third win of the season, all of which have come in conference play.
Both teams shot below 40% from the floor, yet the Blazers held the Mariners to a 1-13 mark from downtown, and outrebounded Mitchell 50-38.
The Mariners (10-6, 2-3 GNAC) will look for a bounce back performance at home on Saturday, January 25, when they host Emmanuel College in a GNAC clash at 1:00 pm. The Blazers (3-13, 3-2 GNAC) also return to the court on Saturday, January 25, playing a conference tilt on the road at Saint Joseph's College (ME).
