NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Green Mountain College and Mitchell College men's basketball teams each came away with victories on the final day of play at the 2012 Mitchell College Tip-Off Tourney Showcase on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Green Mountain (1-1 overall) trailed by as many as 14 points with 9:33 to play but rallied back to post its first win of the season, 105-101, over Mount Ida College. Chris Strong poured in a game-high 29 points and shot 5-for-7 from three-point range to lead five Eagles in double figures.

Junior Joshua Ford scored the game-winning basket with 3.3 seconds remaining as Mitchell (2-0 overall) picked up a 78-76 victory over Johnson State College. Ford finished with 20 points—including 15 in the second half—and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Showcase.

Joining Ford on the All-Showcase Team were teammate Alex Pires, Green Mountain's Strong, Mount Ida's John Fortes and Johnson State's Bryan Hickey. Ford averaged 31.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game for the Showcase.

Game 1 – Green Mountain 105, Mount Ida 101

In a contest that featured 23 lead changes and 11 ties, Green Mountain came out on top thanks to a frenetic comeback in the final six minutes. Trailing 90-79 with 6:16 to play, the Eagles turned up the defensive pressure and scored 12 straight points to take the lead with 3:14 to go on a bucket by Jakerion Ales. Green Mountain used full-court pressure to force five turnovers during the stretch.

Mount Ida (1-1 overall) didn't back down, however, and the lead changed hands five more times before a three-pointer by Strong put the Eagles up 98-97 with 1:44 left. The Mustangs tied the game seconds later on a free throw by Jeff McNair, but Green Mountain scored the next seven points—all from the free throw line—to seal the victory.

Strong scored 21 of his 29 points in the second half while Carnelius Green netted all 16 of his points in the final stanza. He also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and handed out five assists. Cardell Speights shot 10-for-16 from the floor and finished with 23 points while Ales and Haneef Scott added 12 and 11, respectively. The Eagles shot 48 percent as a squad and forced 25 turnovers.

Aaron Kelly led Mount Ida with 23 points and shot 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Cam Walker added 22 points while Fortes finished with 20. McNair recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards and Brandon Castro rounded out the Mustangs in double figures with 13 points.

Mount Ida returns to action at home against the University of New England on Tuesday, November 20 at 6 p.m. Green Mountain will next host Middlebury College on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Game 2 – Mitchell 78, Johnson State 76

Mitchell got off to a sluggish start but stayed close thanks to eight points from Pires in the first six minutes. The Mariners took their first lead at 12-10 on a jumper by junior Anthony Epps and eventually built the margin to as many as 10. Epps scored 15 points in the stanza and Pires added 11 as Mitchell took a 41-33 lead into the locker room at the break.

The Mariners led for the majority of the second half, taking their largest lead at 64-53 with 10:38 to go on a three-pointer by freshman Devonta Mosley. The Badgers (0-2 overall) never quit, though, and ripped off a 14-2 run to claw their way back to the lead. Andy Bousono capped the run with a big three-pointer to put Johnson State in front 67-66 with 5:36 remaining.

Mitchell went back in front on the ensuing possession thanks to a three from Epps, and the Mariners eventually built the lead back to six with 2:37 to play. A lay-up and tip-in from Hickey cut the deficit to two, and then Bousono tied the score at 76-76 with a lay-up with just over a minute to go.

After both teams traded misses, the Mariners took possession with the shot clock turned off and held for the final shot. Junior Alex Del Rio dribbled the clock down to under 10 seconds before working his way into the lane and dumping off his ninth assist of the night to Ford for the go-ahead basket. Johnson State had one final chance with 3.3 seconds left, but a costly sideline turnover gave the Mariners the ball back with 0.6 seconds to go.

Ford shot 8-for-10 from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds to record his second double-double in as many games. Pires finished with a career-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and made five three-pointers while Epps was one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine boards.

Hickey led Johnson State with 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting and notched a double-double with 12 rebounds. Bousono finished with 18 points and six assists while Austin Robinson and Asim Khan chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Mitchell will next host Coast Guard Academy on Tuesday, November 20 at 5:30 p.m. Johnson State returns to action at home against SUNY Canton on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

All-Showcase Team
Joshua Ford, Mitchell College – Most Outstanding Player
Alex Pires, Mitchell College
John Fortes, Mount Ida College
Chris Strong, Green Mountain College
Bryan Hickey, Johnson State College