LEICESTER, Mass. – Tyler Roberson scored 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting to lead Becker College to a 66-65 win over visiting Mitchell College in NECC men's basketball action on Thursday night at the Leicester Gym.

The Hawks finished the regular season with a 13-12 overall record and 9-7 against conference opponents. The Mariners dropped to 12-11 overall and 8-7 in the NECC standings with one game left to play.

Roberson hit the game-tying and go-ahead baskets with less than two minutes in the game. He also accounted for all three of Becker's three-pointers for the evening. Yahmad Rountree finished with 16 points with four rebounds and three steals. Rashaun Liggon had 10 points with a team-high 10 rebounds and made five of his six shots.

Junior Joshua Ford, the NECC's second-leading scorer, carried Mitchell for much of the contest, totaling 24 points with 16 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Sophomore Trace Lanson added nine points, all off three-pointers, while junior Alex Del Rio contributed six points and five assists. The Mariners' bench outscored their Becker counterparts by a 23-2 margin.

After giving up a three to open the game, Becker went on a 9-2 run capped off with a three-point play from Roundtree just 3:41 into the game. The Mariners soon tied the score at 9-9 off a jumper from Ford, only to watch Becker go on an 11-3 stretch sealed with a basket from Roberson, and the home team took a nine point lead. The Hawks' lead hit 13 off an alley oop pass from Darius Sealy to Liggon with six minutes remaining in the first half and Becker leading 30-17 as the Hawk faithful exploded.

After a timeout, the Mariners rallied with three consecutive three-point baskets, bookended by two shots from Del Rio, to cut the deficit to four. Mitchell closed out the opening period with a 15-2 run to go into halftime tied at 32-32. Becker's Roberson led the Hawks with 12 points at the break while Ford carried the Mariners with 14 points. Becker dominated with inside scoring, making 55 percent of its two-point shots. Three-point shooting and rebounding carried Mitchell as the Mariners finished 5-for-7 from behind the arc with a 20-11 edge in rebounding.

Momentum remained with Mitchell as the second half got under way, with the visitors taking their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Both teams continued to trade the lead back and forth throughout the period. With 6:20 left in the game, Lanson hit a huge three-pointer from the corner to put the Mariners up 61-55, their largest lead of the game.

Down by two with less than three minutes remaining, Sealy cut into the lane and hit a floater to tie it up at 61-61. Ford immediately answered with a jumper at the other end, but with 1:53 left, Roberson went inside for a lay-up to tie it at 63-63.

With under a minute remaining, Becker got a huge defensive stop, and Roberson again answered the call. He drove into the paint and drew contact as his lay-up fell. The three-point play gave the Hawks their largest lead of the period at 66-63.

After two Ford free throws, Mitchell got the ball back with 11 seconds left and down by one. Lanson couldn't get a three to fall at the buzzer, and the Hawks escaped with the win.

Mitchell will wrap up regular season play at home against Wheelock College on Saturday, February 16 at 1 p.m.