SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – After losing just their second game of the season on Saturday, the Mitchell College men's basketball team bounced back Tuesday night, running away from Springfield College 82-69 at Blake Arena.
The win propelled the Mariners to a 9-2 overall record with just one game remaining before the end of the semester. The Pride, meanwhile, end the semester 2-7, having lost six of their last seven games.
Springfield grabbed the momentum early in this non-conference matchup, jumping out to a 15-point lead midway through the first half. A 22-6 run over the next seven minutes flipped the script, as the Mariners turned a 27-12 deficit into a 34-33 lead after senior Alfonzo Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) nailed a pair of free-throws with 3:17 remaining before halftime. The Pride were able to stop the run however, regaining the lead on a three-point play by Tre Hodge, and the home squad would carry a 40-38 advantage into the intermission.
Sophomore center Robert Zirlis (Clinton, Conn.) opened up the second half with a basket for the Mariners, but Springfield answered with a 9-0 run to go up 49-40 with four minute gone by in the frame. Jalen Benson (New London, Conn.) stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer, making it 49-43, and after Andrew Rocci answered with a three of his own for the Pride, Mitchell caught fire.
The Mariners went on to establlish control by pouring in 12 straight points, including baskets by Zirlis, Benson, Stokes, Jacob Narvaez (Miramar, Fla.), and Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.).
Curtiss Blische immediately sank a basket to make it a one point game, but that's as close as Springfield would get for the remainder of the contest, as the Mariners opened up a 10 point lead with six minutes left after Stokes hit a jump shot. The Mariner lead grew as large as 18 in the waning minutes of the game, and with three players reaching double-figures scoring, the visitors were able to pull away for the convincing win.
Stokes led all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Mikey Buscetto (Waterford, Conn.) added 19 points, four assists, four rebounds, and three steals, while Benson finished with 14 points on 5-7 shooting to go along with five rebounds, eight assists, and a pair of steals. Robert Zirlis narrowly missed double-figures, putting up nine points and three rebounds, and Navaez contributed eight points off the bench for the Mariners.
John Paulino paced the Pride with 20 points, while Blische had 12 points and six rebounds in the loss. Andrew Rocci and Josiah Evely each scored 10 points for Springfield.
The Mariners outshot the Pride from the floor, 49.2%-35.1%, and finished 7-14 from long range. Springfield, meanwhile, was just 7-26 from three and turned the ball over 16 times. Mitchell was able to turn those opportunities into 22 points off turnovers, while also edging Springfield 36-34 in second chance points.
The Mariners (9-2) will close out the semester with a home game on Friday, December 16th, against SUNY Purchase at 6:00 pm. Springfield (2-7) will next play on December 30th against Roger Williams.