QUINCY, Mass. – Second-seeded Mitchell College overcame a 10-point deficit in the final 7:46 to capture the 2022 New England Collegiate Conference Championship on Saturday, downing top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College by an 87-83 final at the Lahue Athletic Center.
Mikey Buscetto, who was named tournament MVP, finished with 17 points, six assists and four steals, including a swipe in the final seconds that sealed the victory. Joining Buscetto on the all-tournament team was Ahmani Browne, who netted a career-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Alfonzo Stokes chipped in 17 points while Wilton Causey and Hunter Baillargeon came off the bench to contribute 13 and 10, respectively. Robert Zirlis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
The Mariners (17-10 overall) won the league title for the third time in their history (2014, 2019) and have earned the conference's automatic bid for the NCAA Championship. The entire Division III men's field will be announced via NCAA.com on Monday, February 28 at 12:30 p.m.
In the first half, neither team led by more than six as the two sides traded baskets throughout. After a three-pointer by Bernie McGuinness put ENC up by four with 2:09 remaining in the half, Mitchell scored the final seven points to lead 37-34 at the break. Buscetto scored 10 points in the stanza to pace the visitors.
Mitchell held the lead until a three-pointer by Will Zarges put the Lions on top 45-44 with 15:26 to play in the second half. ENC played with the lead and eventually pushed it to double digits following three-pointers by McGuinness and Ozzy Traill, giving the hosts their largest advantage of the contest at 71-61 with 7:46 remaining.
Following a timeout to regroup, the Mariners cut the deficit in half almost immediately as Baillargeon was fouled on a made layup and an ENC player was assessed a technical foul. Baillargeon made the ensuing three free throws—two for the technical and one for the original foul—as the Mariners pulled within five.
Minutes later, a three-pointer from the corner by Stokes got the Mariners to within two. However, every time Mitchell got close, the Lions answered back and padded their lead. Zarges buried a bit three with 4:07 to go that extended ENC's lead to 81-75.
The final four minutes belonged to Mitchell, which outscored ENC by a 12-2 margin to close out the game. Stokes capped an 8-0 stretch with another three that gave Mitchell an 83-81 lead with 1:35 left on the clock. After McGuinness tied the game with the Lions' only bucket of crunch time, Causey buried a pair of free throws to put the Mariners on top for good with 37 seconds to play.
Causey came up big again moments later, grabbing a crucial offensive rebound off a missed free throw and scoring to extend the lead to four with 14 seconds remaining. On the ensuing ENC possession, Buscetto dropped off his man and picked Zarges' pocket at the top of the three-point arc, dribbling out the final seconds and sending the Mitchell student section into celebration.
Mitchell shot 44 percent for the game and held a 42-37 advantage on the glass. The Mariners also benefitted from 20 trips to the free throw line, leading to a 16-5 scoring edge at the stripe.
The Lions finished the season with an overall record of 14-12. McGuinness poured in a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds while Nick Manso netted 13 points and added five assists. Traill registered 12 points and six assists on the day. Ka'Shaun Swan chipped in with 12 points off the bench while Zarges tallied eight points and four boards.
NECC All-Tournament Team
Gabe McCrary - Lesley
Jamal Allen - New England College
Levi Grady-White - Eastern Nazarene
Bernie McGuinness - Eastern Nazarene
Ahmani Browne - Mitchell
MVP: Mikey Buscetto - Mitchell