NEW LONDON, Conn. – Senior Jalen Benson (New London, Conn.) sank a fadeaway buzzer-beater as time expired, propelling the Mitchell College men's basketball team past Johnson & Wales University 62-60 on Saturday afternoon for their first win of the new year in a non-conference game at Yarnall Athletic Center.
Benson's basket came after Jontai Williams went one for two at the free throw line to tie the game up at 60 with just 11 seconds remaining. The senior took the inbounds pass, navigated through the full-court press, and attacked the basket. The Wildcats defense stopped him from driving, and after two pivot rotations, Benson fell backwards, releasing the ball which would sail through the net for the game-winner.
Benson finished with eight points, six rebounds, and five steals for the Mariners, who improved to 10-2 on the season, winning in their first game played since December 12th. Fellow senior Alfonzo Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) paced the Mitchell men with a team-high 17 points, while Wilton Causey (Worcester, Mass.) and Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) each finished with 11. Causey also led the Mariners with six rebounds and Mikey Buscetto (Waterford, Conn.) dished out a team-best five assists.
The game was tight from the jump as JWU maintained a slim advantage for the majority of the first half and went into halftime leading 28-26. The Wildcats continued to play with a narrow advantage, stretching the lead to six points with 13:17 left in the game, leading to a Mitchell 30 second timeout. Buscetto connected on a three coming out of the timeout, yet the Wildcats refused to give up the lead, keeping Mitchell at bay ever so slightly for most of the second half.
A jump shot by Dontae Pollard allowed the Mariners to tie the game at 52-52 with just under seven minutes on the clock, yet Bryan Davis responded with a basket from long range to bump the Wildcats back ahead by three.
The Mariners took their first lead of the half with two minutes and 23 seconds left on a layup by Wilton Causey, but a pair of free-throws by Aireus Raspberry gave the Wildcats the one-point advantage as the game entered the final 90 seconds.
With just under a minute on the clock, Alfonzo Stokes went 2-2 at the line to give the home team a 60-59 edge, but the free throw by Williams with 11 seconds on the clock once against knotted the score.
Benson's buzzer beater followed, as the Mariners have now won two in a row and 10 of their last 11 games.
Raspberry paced JWU with a game-high 25 points, while Davis joined him in double-figures with 14.
Both squads shot under 40% from the floor, yet Mitchell held a strong advantage at the free-throw line, shooting 9-11 at the stripe compare to 12-20 for the Wildcats. The Mariners also turned the ball over three fewer times than their opponent, scored 24 points off turnovers, and received 15 points from the bench.
The Mariners (10-2) will return to action on Wednesday, January 11th, when they travel to Middletown, Connecticut for a non-conference game against Wesleyan. Johnson & Wales (4-7) will host Lasell on Wednesday, January 11th.