NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team suffered an 81-66 setback to Elms College on Thursday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Andre French netted a team-high 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting to lead Elms (5-7 overall, 4-0 NECC) to its fourth straight conference victory. Isaiah Odunlami added 14 points off the bench as the Blazers shot 54 percent from the floor and held a 42-31 advantage on the glass.

Four Mariners scored in double figures led by a game-high 21 points from junior Joshua Ford. Mitchell (5-6 overall, 1-2 NECC) shot 42 percent from the floor but went just 1-for-13 from beyond the arc.

Elms jumped out to an early lead as French opened the game by burying a deep three, the first of three triples on the night. Mitchell's only lead of the game came at the 14:45 mark following a lay-up by junior Anthony Epps, but French drained another three on the ensuing possession to put the Blazers back in front.

Elms took control midway through the stanza behind 16 unanswered points. Odunlami contributed seven points and Jamal Hulum added five during the stretch, and French capped the run with a jumper that made it 32-16 with 8:34 to play. The Blazers pumped the margin to as many as 19 before heading into the halftime break with a comfortable 47-33 lead.

Elms never let its lead dip below double digits in the second half despite 51-percent shooting from the Mariners. David McDaniel finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds in 23 minutes for the Blazers. Darius Griffin also had eight points off the bench while Hulum added five points, four rebounds and three blocks.

Ford scored 12 of his 21 points in the second half and finished the game with seven rebounds. Freshman Devonta Mosley chipped in with 12 points while Epps and sophomore Michael Pellegrini each netted 10.

Mitchell will next host Southern Vermont College on Saturday, January 12 at 1 p.m.