NEW LONDON, CT -- Mitchell turned 22 Lynx turnovers into 17 points in its 66-64, last-second victory over Lesley Tuesday night.
Mariners (12-7, 9-3 NECC) guard Kaylee Cerutto's layup with seven seconds remaining broke a 64-64 tie, proving to be the game-winner.
Lynx (11-9, 10-2 NECC) senior Rachael O'Mara poured in a game-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals. Fourteen of her 23 points came in the Lynx second-half comeback attempt that fell just short.
Cassidy Freed posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and fellow senior Kaitlyn Wechsler added 19 points, but her layup as time expired fell off the mark, and the Mariners escaped with the victory despite blowing an eight-point lead in the final 70 seconds.
Mitchell, a team Lesley took care of 62-50 in Cambridge, controlled much of the contest 15 days later. A Cerruto layup put the Mariners on top 9-5 at the 13:18 mark, and the teams would force four ties in the next seven minutes.
Four points from O'Mara in a 6-0 Lynx run found Lesley ahead 25-19, but Mitchell responded with a 7-0 run capped by an Allison Peck three-pointer. After Lesley's tenth turnover of the half, the teams went into halftime tied at 27, with Wechsler leading all players with 11 points.
The Mariners took an early second-half lead on an Alix O'Neil jumper, but an O'Mara three pointer started a 7-0 Lesley run to take a five-point lead. A Wechsler breakaway lay-in gave the Lynx their largest lead, 38-31, but it was all Mariners from there.
Mitchell answered with a 10-0 run in which four players scored, turning a 38-34 Lynx lead into a 41-38 Mariners advantage at the 12:00 minute mark, and the home team would never trail again. A Cerruto jumper made it an eight-point lead with 6:30 remaining, and Mitchell took its largest lead at 60-51 with 2:40 left, looking poised to cruise to victory.
A timeout from Lynx coach Jim Burfoot led to O'Mara's second three-pointer of the half, cutting the deficit to six. O'Mara's four-point play aided by a Mitchell technical foul then made it a one-possession game, 64-62, with 47 seconds left.
After Cerruto missed the front end of a one-and-one, Freed rebounded a Wechsler missed, and Wechsler was fouled, hitting a pair of free throws to complete the comeback and tie the game with 18 seconds left.
Cerruto, though, made up for her free throw mishap, hitting the game-winning layup and erasing the Lynx 8-0 comeback that spanned just 51 seconds. Lesley guard Emily Fleming raced the floor and found Wechsler for a layup as time expired, but it went hard as the Mariners went on to win.
Brianne Caira led all players with 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Fleming added a game-high nine assists.
Now losers of two in a row after a nine-game winning streak, Lesley travels to first-place Daniel Webster on Thursday at 5:30.