NEW LONDON, Conn. – In another instant classic between the two teams, it was second-seeded Mitchell College that knocked off third-seeded New England College by a 95-94 final on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the 2022 New England Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Championship.
It marked the third straight postseason meeting between the Mariners and Pilgrims in a series that has provided plenty of drama. Mitchell won at the buzzer in the semifinals in 2019, while NEC returned the favor in the 2020 title game. And much like its predecessors, the final game of the trilogy came down to the last possession.
After Wilton Causey made two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining to put Mitchell up by one, NEC's Kareem Octavien went the length of the floor but was stripped of the ball while going up for the shot. Calvin Cheek tracked the loose ball down before it went out of bounds and attempted an off-balance, fall-away heave at the buzzer that was off the mark.
Causey went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 34 seconds to help Mitchell to the victory, but it was the all-conference duo of Mikey Buscetto and Alfonzo Stokes who did the heavy lifting. Buscetto finished with game highs of 28 points, nine assists and four steals while Stokes had 27 points and five rebounds. Causey chipped in 12 points off bench while Ahmani Browne added 11 points and nine boards.
The all-conference backcourt of Jamal Allen and Cheek paced NEC, as the former netted 23 points to go with six rebounds and the latter finished with 17 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and three assists. Kyle Inglis provided a spark off the bench with 15 points, and Michael Tavilla and Octavien contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Most of the game was played in a tight window, as neither side led by more than six. The contest featured 15 ties and 13 lead changes.
NEC opened the game with a 6-0 run to force an early Mitchell timeout, but the hosts quickly recovered as Buscetto and Stokes heated up. Each scored 14 points in the stanza to stake the Mariners to a 48-43 lead at the break.
Allen and Cheek combined for just 13 points in the half, but Inglis picked up the slack with a trio of three-pointers and 13 points in 10 minutes. Tavilla also chipped in seven points as the visitors kept it close.
The lead went back and forth in the second half as the sides traded big shots. With the score tied at 85-85 with under three minutes to play, Mitchell scored six straight points to take its biggest lead of the night. Stokes buried a jumper and two free throws before Buscetto capped the stretch with a steal and lay-up for a 91-85 advantage with 2:00 to go.
NEC responded with six straight points to tie the game once again. Octavien nailed a jumper and Cheek had a big tip-in before Allen knotted things up at 91-91 with a lay-up with 55 seconds left.
After Causey made his first pair of freebies with 34 seconds to go to put Mitchell up by two, Cheek drove the lane and kicked out to Tavilla for a go-ahead three from the corner. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Mitchell elected to forgo a timeout and put the ball back into play. Stokes drove the lane as the clock wound down and dished off to Causey, who was fouled on his lay-up attempt from the right side.
NEC took its final timeout to try to ice Causey at the line, but the Mitchell newcomer calmly swished home both attempts to set up the game's final play. Octavien went coast to coast but was stripped by Jalen Benson at the basket.
Mitchell won three out of four meetings against NEC this season and improved to 6-5 all-time in the rivalry. The Pilgrims finished the season with an overall record of 11-13.
Mitchell (16-10 overall) advances to the NECC title game for the third straight year. The Mariners will play at top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College on Saturday, February 26.