CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Mitchell College sophomore Alan Morgan (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) finished with 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds to lead Mitchell College past host Lesley University this evening in New England Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball action at the Nicholas Athletics Center.
The win is the second in a row for the Mariners as they move to 3-8 on the season and 2-3 in NECC play while the Lynx dip to 2-13 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
Morgan was one of four Mariners who finished in doubles figures. Senior Parris Hill (Stockton, Calif.) added 19 points and six boards while classmate Donovan McClean (Jersey City, N.J.) finished with 17 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and a pair of steals. Freshman Domenico Santiago (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) chipped in with 15 points while corralling six caroms.
Lesley junior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) led all players with 23 points to go with six rebounds and four assists. Fellow junior Terrell Toney (Lakewood, Wash.) added 12 points while classmate Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.) notched his second straight double-double with ten points and ten boards. Senior Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) dump in nine points and dished out a team-best six assists while freshman William Cuffee (Amherst, Mass.) came off the bench for eight points and a career-high seven rebounds.
Mayo started the game hot for the Lynx, scoring Lesley's first seven points as the hosts opened up a 9-2 lead. Later in the half, a pair of Cuffee free throws would put the hosts up 26-20 before consecutive jumpers by McLean would spark an 18-6 run for the Mariners over the six minutes of the first and Mitchell would head into the locker room with a 38-32 lead.
Back-to-back buckets from Cuffee and Mayo to start the second would bring the Lynx to within two, 38-36, but the Mariners would have an answer and push their lead to eleven following a 13-4 stretch capped by a pair of Santaigo freebies.
A Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.) triple with 12:10 to go would cut the Lynx deficit to six, 53-47, but again Mitchell countered with a three from Hill that ignited an 8-0 run to extend their advantage back to double-digits, 61-47.
The Mariners would build a lead by as many as 22 points in the half to notch their second straight NECC win.
Mitchell would hit on 51% (36-of-66) of their attempts from the floor while holding Lesley to just 40% (27-of-67) shooting. The Mariners also held a 43-36 advantage on the glass and used a 21-10 edge in fastbreak points on the night.
The Lynx will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday when they travel to Daniel Webster College for an NECC tilt at 7:00p. The Mariners will also be back in NECC action on Tuesday as they will play host to Regis College at 6:00p.