NEW LONDON, Conn. – Behind a combined 57 points from the duo of Donavan McClean and Parris Hill, the Mitchell College men's basketball team picked up a 79-77 victory over cross-town rival Connecticut College on Tuesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
The Mariners (8-9 overall) earned their third straight win and their second straight in the series. McClean led the way with 31 points on 13-for-20 shooting while Hill tacked on 26 points and five steals. Devonta Mosley also chipped in with 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks as Mitchell shot 48 percent from the floor.
Zuri Pavlin led the Camels (7-12 overall) with a career-high 31 points and contributed a game-high 18 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Daniel Janel also scored in double digits with 14 points and added 10 boards.
The first half was close for the first 12 minutes until the Mariners opened up a 36-26 lead behind an 11-2 run. A bucket by Hill capped the stretch and gave Mitchell its largest lead of the half with 4:48 to go.
A three-point play by McClean with under a minute remaining in the half put the Mariners on top by nine, but Conn closed the stanza with layups by Austin Brown and Sean McNally to trim the deficit to 42-37 at the break. Pavlin had 12 points at intermission to lead the Camels while McClean checked in with 15 for the Mariners.
Mitchell never trailed in the second half but had a 13-point margin whittled down to six as Conn rattled off seven unanswered points. Pavlin contributed a pair of buckets during the stretch while Bryan Gross drained the Camels' first three-pointer of the contest. However, the Mariners got the momentum back when Hill was fouled and—with the addition of a technical foul—made four straight free throws to build the lead back to 68-58 with 7:54 to play.
Conn closed the game on a 9-2 run but ran out of time. McClean came through with a huge bucket for the Mariners during the span, the final of his 13 field goals on the night.
The Camels shot just 2-for-19 from three-point range but stayed in the game due to a 56-27 edge on the glass. Conn outscored Mitchell 25-4 on second-chance opportunities as Pavlin, Janel and Gross each finished with five offensive boards.
The Mariners forced 22 turnovers that aided in a 16-2 advantage in transition scoring. Josh Maynard made his first career start due to the absence of Joshua Ford and finished with six points on a pair of treys to go with three blocks.
Mitchell will next host Regis College on Thursday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. Conn College returns to action at home against Amherst College on Friday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m.