Sports

Mitchell College Women's Basketball Team Wins Fourth Straight

Mariners pick up another win; men's team loses to Becker

The Mitchell College women's basketball team picked up a win against Lesley University in a home game on Tuesday, but the men's team lost to Becker College. The following information was provided by David Longolucco, sports information director at Mitchell College, as well as Matt Tittle, sports information director at Becker College:

Women's Basketball: Mitchell 71, Lesley 63

Four players scored in double figures for the Mariners (5-8 overall, 4-3 NECC), who extended their winning streak to four games. Freshman Zilka Navarro (Waterbury, Conn./Kennedy) paced Mitchell with 20 points and added five assists. Grace Amato (Sharon, Vt./Woodstock Union) led all scorers with 26 points and added a game-high 17 rebounds to pave the way for the Lynx (0-11 overall, 0-6 NECC).

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Lesley grabbed an early lead thanks to a cold start by the Mariners, who missed their first 12 field goal attempts and quickly fell behind 10-1. Mitchell’s first basket finally came with 13:12 remaining in the stanza and sparked a 12-2 run. Sophomore Cora Harris (Jersey City, N.J./Saint Anthony) scored six points during the stretch and gave the Mariners their first lead at 13-12 on a jumper with 9:30 to go.

Mitchell went on to lead by as many as 10 points in the half and held a 30-24 advantage at the break. Harris scored 10 of her career-high 12 points in the half while Navarro added 11. Amato led the Lynx with seven points at the intermission.

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Lesley trailed by as many as nine points in the second half but rallied back behind the play of Amato, who was nearly unstoppable in the paint. She finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the second half alone, and her lay-up with 5:56 remaining trimmed the deficit to one at 50-49. The Lynx then tied the game on their next trip down the floor when Chelsea Contre (Pomfret, Conn./Woodstock Academy) was fouled and made one of two from the line.

Mitchell struck back on the ensuing possession, as freshman Hannah Smith (Wakefield, R.I./South Kingstown) drained a three-pointer from the wing to put the Mariners back in front. Smith finished with a season-high 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and added seven rebounds.

A lay-up and free throw by senior Bianca Young (Bridgeport, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) put Mitchell up 58-52 with 3:08 to go, and Lesley never again made it a single-possession game. The Mariners clinched the victory by going 11-for-12 from the free throw line in the closing minute of play.

The Lynx shot 38 percent from the floor but went only 11-for-22 at the charity stripe. Contre and Sarah Apgar (Andover, N.J./Lenape Valley) each netted 10 points to help the Lesley cause while Emily Fleming (Medford, Mass./Matignon) had seven assists and three steals to go along with five points.

The Mariners shot 38 percent for the contest and went 24-for-35 from the line. Freshman Sheanna James (Waterbury, Conn./Kaynor Tech) rounded out the Mitchell double-digit scorers with 16 points and added team highs of nine rebounds and seven assists. 

Mitchell will next host Daniel Webster College on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Lesley returns to action at Newbury College on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Men's Basketball: Becker 74, Mitchell 54

Tyler Roberson (Irvington, N.J.) scored 17 points as Becker defeated Mitchell, 74-52 in NECC men’s basketball action on Tuesday evening. Becker runs their record to 9-4 with a NECC-leading 4-0 conference mark. Mitchell falls to 5-7 with a 3-3 record in the NECC.

The action was fast-paced early on, highlighted by a flying dunk by Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, Conn.) to give the host Hawks a 10-7 lead four minutes into the game, sending fans at the Leicester Gym into a frenzy. In a tightly-contested battle, the Hawks used a 12-3 run to open up a 29-18 lead with 7:02 remaining in the period, orchestrated by Terrance Favors (Boston, Mass.) who finished the opening half with seven points and six assists. Becker extended the lead to 12 with 5:32 left when Stanley Cunningham (New Haven, Conn.) pulled down a defensive rebound and threw a long bomb to Rountree for an easy deuce. It was all part of a 19-6 Hawks rally capped off by a fast break layup from Donovin Ford-Hayes (Windsor Locks, Conn.) with 1:04 remaining to give Becker a 43-24 lead going into halftime.

The Hawks continued to attack at both ends of the court in the second half. Just 3:36 into the period, Rountree tipped an offensive rebound to the big man, Jerome Cohen (Boston, Mass.), who powered his way in for a layup while drawing a hard foul. With 12:18 left in the game, Ford-Hayes hunted down a tipped ball at Becker’s end, splitting through two defenders and dunking it at the other end. A minute later, Rountree stole a ball and slammed it home on a solo breakaway, putting Becker up 62-33 and the Hawks were off to the races.   

Mitchell attempted to respond with a 9-4 run, capped off by a jumper from Michael Pellegrini (Middletown, Conn.) with 9:21 remaining. As they had throughout the night, Becker found an answer, this time on a driving layup through traffic by Lee Brockett (Waterbury, Conn.). Brockett would finish with six points and four assists.

Cohen was a force inside with 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a pair of steals. Rountree added ten points with seven boards. Ford-Hayes came off the bench to score 12 points with four rebounds. Cunningham pulled down eight rebounds.

The Mariners were led by Pelligrini’s 12 points while Enoch Contreras (Boca Raton, Fla.) added 11. Joshua Ford (Jersey City, N.J.) pulled down a game-high 12 boards with six points, while Alex Del Rio (New Britain, Conn.) dished out six assists.

The Hawks are back in action on Thursday, January 19th,  when they hit the road to take on the Night Hawks of Newbury. The Mariners also play their next game on Thursday when they host the Blazers of Elms.


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