NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College edged Becker College in a low-scoring affair on Saturday afternoon, winning by a 41-39 final in the New England Collegiate Conference regular season finale for both squads at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
The Mariners didn't lead in the fourth quarter until a put-back by Ramzie Jones put them ahead 40-39 with 9.2 seconds remaining in the contest. Becker turned the ball over on its next possession, and after a free throw extended the Mitchell lead to two, the Hawks failed to get off a shot before the final buzzer.
Amina Wiley netted a game-high 13 points to lead Mitchell, which improved to 16-9 overall and finished in a three-way tie atop the NECC standings at 15-3. Le'Sandra Turner added 10 points and five rebounds while Jones had eight points and five boards off the bench.
Cassidy Harrison paced Becker (18-7 overall, 15-3 NECC) with 10 points while Sara Ware added nine. Adrianna Dowdy finished with seven points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Becker led 17-13 after a rough first half in which both teams shot under 30 percent. The scoring picked up in the third quarter, with the Hawks building the lead to 26-20 following a three-pointer by Harrison with 4:35 left in the stanza.
Just over a minute later, a three-pointer by Jessica Lohneiss sparked a 9-0 run that pushed the Mariners into the lead. Lohneiss supplied five points during the stretch while Jones added the other four, and Mitchell led 29-26 with 2:01 remaining in the third.
A basket by Ware and two free throws from Harrison gave the Hawks the lead heading into the final quarter. Becker later went up 39-34 on a three-pointer by Harrison with 3:55 to go.
Trailing by five, Mitchell whittled the deficit to one on free throws by Turner and a bucket by Jones. After a two-minute stretch where neither team scored, the Mariners gained possession with 26 ticks remaining and a chance to take the lead.
After a Mitchell timeout, the ensuing possession featured three offensive rebounds and four shots. The first two attempts came from outside the arc, with Francesca Pinard corralling the misses both times. Pinard then missed on an attempt from just outside the paint, and Jones plucked the rebound down before depositing a left-handed lay-up for the go-ahead points.
Becker turned the ball over down the sideline with 4.7 seconds remaining and was forced to foul. Turner converted one of two from the line to up the lead to two with 3.4 seconds to go. The Hawks then called timeout to advance the ball to half court, although their final play failed to yield a shot.
Mitchell and Becker have both qualified for next week's NECC Championship and will host first-round games on Tuesday, February 19. The complete bracket—including seeding, match-ups and game times—will be announced on Sunday.