NEW LONDON, Conn. – After allowing a late comeback in regulation, Lesley University recovered to take a 98-91 victory in overtime at Mitchell College on Saturday afternoon in a New England Collegiate Conference men's basketball matchup at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
The win for the Lynx is the first over the Mariners since January 13, 2013 as they improve to 10-5 overall this season and 4-2 in the NECC. Mitchell drops to 0-12 on the season and 0-4 in conference matchups.
All five Lesley starters scored in double figures, led by a career-high 22 points from junior Marquise Johnson (Hampton, Va.), who also added eight rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Xeo Golding (Windermere, Fla.) netted 19 points while senior Devon Mayo (Newport News, Va.) contributed 18, half of which came in overtime. Sophomore Joey Martin (Melbourne, Fla.) finished with 13 points and eight rebounds while senior Pierre St. Simon (Farmingdale, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 points, seven boards, and four blocks.
The Lynx outscored their hosts 50-32 in the painted area while also executing in the transition game, holding a 21-12 advantage in fastbreak points. Their 42 free throw attempts ties a program record set in the season opener in a double-overtime victory at Curry College; the Lynx finished 26-of-42 from the line.
Mitchell's Brayvon Young (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) led all scorers with a career-high 28 points and shot 7-for-10 from beyond the arc. Mack Bertram-Gregory (Stockton, Calif.) added a season-high 23 points while Alan Morgan (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) finished with 10 points and a career-best 14 assists.
The Mariners were down 72-61 with 6:55 to go in regulation before making a push. Back-to-back threes from Bertram-Gregory and Young trimmed the deficit to 74-71 with 4:35 to play, although Johnson answered back with a three for Lesley on the next possession.
Mitchell pulled within two on another trey by Young with 2:08 remaining and later tied the game at 78-78 on a pair of free throws by Bertram-Gregory. A Lesley turnover then gave the Mariners the ball back and a chance at the lead, but St. Simon made a pair of blocks on the defensive end and came up with a big rebound to keep the score knotted.
After taking a timeout, the Lynx set up for a final shot in regulation but were whistled for a traveling violation with 1.6 seconds remaining. Young then attempted a three-quarter court shot for the win that came close but didn't go down.
The Mariners struck first in OT, but the Lynx responded with the next eight points to seize control. Golding put Lesley up with a pair of free throws and also added a dunk during the run. Mayo later drilled a big three with 1:26 to go after Mitchell had made it a one-possession game.
Lesley returns to action at home against Daniel Webster College on Tuesday at 8:00p. Mitchell will next play at Regis College on Tuesday, January 17 at 6:00p.
Portions of this release courtesy Mitchell College Sports Information