LEICESTER, Mass. - The Mitchell College women's basketball team dropped its regular season finale by a 62-60 final at Becker College on Saturday afternoon.

Becker responded in a must-win situation to qualify for next week's NECC Championship. Mitchell had already clinched a berth for the postseason but was looking to improve its seeding.

Becker led by as many as eight points early in the first half before the Mariners went on an 18-3 run. The two teams exchanged the lead on three different occasions, but Mitchell took a 31-24 advantage into the locker room at the half.

Senior Alix O'Neil opened the second half with a layup, giving Mitchell what proved to be its largest lead of the game at 33-24. Becker slowly chipped away to get back into the contest. With 14:48 remaining in the game sophomore Kaylee Cerruto nailed a three-pointer to put Mitchell in front 43-35. Becker responded by going on a 8-0 run, tying the game at 43-43 with 10:01 remaining. Chelsea Joubert hit a three-pointer with 7:33 on the clock that gave Becker a 48-45 advantage.

The teams went back and forth with the lead two more times before the Tatiana Mojica put back teammate Heidi Miller's missed jumper, placing the Lady Hawks in front 52-50. With Becker clinging to a 61-60 lead with 18 seconds remaining, Kristina Desnoyers fought through a crowd of Mariners to pull down what proved to be a game-winning rebound.

Allison Peck scored a game-high 16 points for the Mariners in the loss. O'Neil fished with 14 points and 11 rebounds to earn a double-double. Junior Bianca Young chipped in with 10 points.

The Mariners finished the regular season with a record of 14-8 overall and 11-4 in the NECC. Because Daniel Webster College had to forfeit six conference wins due to an ineligible player, Mitchell moved up to the second seed in the NECC Championship. The Mariners will receive a bye for the first round and will play either Daniel Webster or Elms College in the semifinals on Friday, February 25. 

Joubert led the Lady Hawks with 15 points and Mojica added 13 in the win. Haley Ooms had 11 assists as Becker improved to 10-14 overall and 8-8 in the NECC. Becker will travel to Newbury College on Tuesday evening for the first round of the NECC Championship.