Nashua, NH – Senior Chris Hanson (Salem, Mass.) and junior Jonathan Smalls (Deer Park, N.Y.) notched 12 points apiece and 12 different Daniel Webster players reached the scoring column as the host Eagles downed Mitchell College, 68-53 in the New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball opener for both clubs Tuesday night at the Mario Vagge Gymnasium.
Hanson moved into fourth place on the all-time DWC career scoring list with his 1,405th point in the first half, surpassing Mark Goodwin '92 who retired with 1,404. He added seven rebounds and a game-high four assists.
Rookie Daris Cosby (Columbia, S.C.) provided a spark off the bench for DWC (5-2, 1-0 NECC) with eight points and a game-high eight rebounds while senior Chris Voukides and rookie Kevin Gates (Chicago, Ill.) notched nine points apiece. Sophomore Keith Speed (Columbus, Ohio) chipped in with seven points.
Julio Contreras led the Mariners (1-8, 0-1 NECC) with a game-high 20 points including four three-pointers, while Paul Jefferson (Waterbury, Conn.) added 14 points. Jamall McDaniel (Jersey City, N.J.) chipped in with seven points while Chris Thomas (Orlando, Fla.) led Mitchell with six boards.
The Eagles, who won their third straight, dominated inside. DWC finished with a 46-28 rebounding advantage including a decisive 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass and added 40 points in the paint to just 12 for the Mariners.
Daniel Webster trailed only once, a 5-4 deficit with 16:19 left in the opening half and took advantage of cold Mitchell shooting. The Mariners managed just six first half-field goals allowing DWC to stitch together an 21-6 run that consumed just under 11 minutes and build a 25-11 lead with 5:42 to go in the first.
The Eagles shot 47-percent in the opening frame and held a 33-17 lead at the break.
In the second, Mitchell pulled within 14 on a Tyler Blier (Wolcott, Conn.) layup with 16:19 remaining, but Smalls answered with a free throw and layup, Gates followed with a nifty inside spin move and Cosby knocked down a 20-foot jumper to extend the lead out to 21 (46-25) with 14:37 left and the Eagles never let the Mariners closer than 15 the rest of the way.
The Eagles return to action on Thursday night as they host Salve Regina University in a regional matchup tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
Mitchell hosts Southern Vermont in a NECC matchup on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.