Sports

Mitchell College Loses Basketball Game On Late Shot

Mariners drop two games to Newbury College

Mitchell College lost two basketball games to Newbury College on Saturday, including one on a late basket. The following information was provided by David Longolucco, sports information director at Mitchell College:

Men's Basketball: Newbury 83, Mitchell 81

Steve Rosemond (Everett, Mass./Charlestown) hit a shot at the buzzer to propel the Newbury College men’s basketball team to an 83-81 victory over Mitchell College in New England Collegiate Conference play on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

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With 6.3 seconds remaining in a tied game, Rosemond took the inbounds pass in his own backcourt and brought the ball up the right sideline. He then worked his way into the lane and, after being cut off by a defender, launched a fade-away jumper that swished through the hoop as the buzzer sounded. Rosemond finished with 23 points and was one of five Newbury players in double figures in the contest.

Mitchell (5-16 overall, 3-11 NECC) had tied the game on the previous possession after Newbury failed to build on a two-point lead from the foul line on a one-and-one opportunity. The Mariners came up the floor and chose not to call timeout, instead working the ball around the perimeter for either the tying or go-ahead points. Senior Enoch Contreras (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca) finally drove into the paint and dished off to classmate Alex Vess (Middletown, Conn./Xavier) for a baseline jumper that tied the game at 81-81.

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The finish capped an exciting second half that was close throughout. Each team held the lead four times over the final 20 minutes as neither side could land a knockout punch. Mitchell took its biggest lead at 61-54 with 12:35 to go following a lay-up by freshman Alex Pires (Valhalla, N.Y./Valhalla), but Newbury (10-14 overall, 7-8 NECC) answered right back with seven straight points to tie things up. The Nighthawks later went up by five with 7:41 to play, but Mitchell fired back on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to one. Neither team led by more than two points in the final 6:28.

In the first half, the Nighthawks seized control behind a 14-0 run that left them ahead 19-7 with 14:34 remaining. Rosemond scored 10 points during the stretch on his way to 14 by the intermission. The Mariners, however, responded by scoring 13 of the next 15 points to claw back into the contest. Mitchell eventually took the lead on a jumper by freshman Michael Pellegrini (Middletown, Conn./Middletown) and later went up by five at 28-23 on a three-pointer by Pires.

Newbury led 45-42 at halftime thanks to an 18-7 edge in points off turnovers. Sophomore Joshua Ford (Jersey City, N.J./Saint Anthony) paced Mitchell at the break with 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting.

All of Newbury’s scoring came from five players. Kwame Thompson (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) also finished with 23 points while Tim Young (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) added 15. Eric Watson (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) contributed 12 points off the bench while Jason Marshall (Fairburn, Ga./Bishop Loughlin Memorial) netted all 10 of his points in the first half.

Ford, who hit his first nine shots in the contest, finished with a game-high 26 points on 12-for-17 shooting. He also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Both Pires and Pellegrini chipped in with 10 points while Vess and seniors Paul Jefferson (Waterbury, Conn./Waterbury Arts Magnet School) and Terrance Fisher (Richmond, Va./Richmond Christian School) each added eight.

Mitchell will next play at Lesley University on Tuesday, February 14 at 8 p.m. Newbury returns to action at Regis College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Women's Basketball: Newbury 77, Mitchell 63

The Newbury College women’s basketball team used a second-half surge to pull out a 77-63 victory at Mitchell College on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

The Nighthawks (13-10 overall, 11-6 NECC) took control behind a 14-2 run that left them with a 59-48 lead with 10:20 remaining in the contest. Morganna Machado (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) finished with a team-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting while Catherine O’Connell (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) posted 17 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals in the win. Mitchell freshman Sheanna James (Waterbury, Conn./Kaynor Tech) led all scorers with 21 points and also had six boards and six steals.

Neither side led by more than four points in a competitive first half that featured six ties and 11 lead changes. The Mariners (6-16 overall, 5-11 NECC) shot 48 percent from the floor in the stanza and took a 37-34 lead into the halftime break. Senior Bianca Young (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) scored all 13 of her points in the first half to pace Mitchell while Machado had 11 at intermission.

The opening minutes of the second half mimicked the previous period, as Newbury took the lead behind baskets by Katie Haney (Winchendon, Mass./Montachusett Regional) and Kendra Bannister (Washington, D.C./Brooke Point). The lead then changed hands four more times before a lay-up by O’Connell put the Nighthawks in front for good with 13:57 to play. The basket sparked a 14-2 run over a 3:37 stretch as Newbury pulled away. Shayla White (Dorchester, Mass./Wellesley) scored seven of her 12 points during the spurt and capped the run with a lay-up that made it 59-48 with 10:20 to go.

Mitchell never recovered and shot just 25 percent in the second half. Newbury led by as many as 19 points and shot 46 percent in the period to finish at 41 percent for the game. The Nighthawks dominated the paint, outscoring the Mariners 32-16 while holding a 55-39 edge on the glass. O’Connell pulled down seven boards on the offensive end alone while Machado finished one rebound short of a double-double.

Young finished with a game- and career-high 17 rebounds to go along with her 13 points. Freshman Hannah Smith (Wakefield, R.I./South Kingstown) also scored in double figures with 11 points and added seven rebounds.

Mitchell will next host Bay Path College on Tuesday, February 14 at 7 p.m. Newbury returns to action at home against Daniel Webster College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.


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