Men’s Basketball Outlasts Mitchell in Overtime, 86-81

NEW LONDON, Conn.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team extended its winning-streak to four-straight games with an 86-81 overtime-victory at Mitchell Wednesday evening.

With the win, the Lions elevate to 12-9 on the season and remain undefeated in conference play with a 4-0 mark. The Mariners dip to 11-10 overall and 1-3 in the New England Collegiate Conference with the setback.

Bernie McGuinness (Cumming, Ga.) notched his seventh double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Corey McGhee (Alexandria, Va.) netted 15 points and grabbed seven boards. Nick Manso (Brick, N.J.) scored 15 points and hauled in four rebounds. Ozzy Traill III (Valley Stream, N.Y.) registered 13 points and seven rebounds. Deonta Pearson (Westland, Mich.) posted 10 points off the bench while Levi Grady-White (Springfield, Mass.) added nine boards and five points.

The visitors seized a 14-7 lead with 15:21 remaining in the first half on a layup by Manso.

The home team battled back to claim a four-point edge, 20-16, with 8:58 left to play in the opening frame as Hunter Baillargeon canned a trey.

Eastern Nazarene pulled even at 25-25 on a lay-in by McGuinness with 6:15 on the clock.

A bucket by Pat Taylor (Lakeland, Fla.) and a pair of free throws by McGuinness in the waning seconds of the first period gave the Lions a 38-35 edge at the break.

Eastern Nazarene posted a field-goal percentage of 41.9% in the opening 20 minutes of play while connecting on just 2-of-11 from three-point range. Mitchell shot 37.8% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Lions stretched their advantage to 51-40 with 16:36 left to play in regulation as Traill knocked down a mid-range jumper.

The Mariners knotted the contest at 68-68 before snagging a 70-68 edge with 5:51 remaining on a layup by Ahmani Browne.

After the hosts extended the margin to 74-70, Eastern Nazarene clawed back to cut the deficit to 74-73 as Manso splashed a trey with 2:19 to go.

The Lions grabbed a 75-74 lead with 44 seconds remaining on a bucket by McGuinness.

Mitchell pulled ahead 77-75 as Jalen Benson drilled a trey with 31 seconds on the clock.

Eastern Nazarene leveled the game at 77-77 with 13 seconds left to play on a pair of clutch free throws by Ka'Shaun Swan (Lawrenceville, Ga.).

The two teams battled to a 77-77 stalemate through 40 minutes of regulation as the Lions headed to overtime for the second time this season.

The visitors narrowly outscored the Mariners 9-4 in the extra frame to prevail 86-81. Free throws by Traill and Grady-White in the final seconds cemented Eastern Nazarene's fourth-straight win.

The Lions concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 45.2% to go with a 5-for-20 effort from long distance. Mitchell shot 38.5% from the deck and 38.9% from behind the arc on the evening.

Alfonzo Stokes paced the Mariners with 22 points while Mikey Buscetto poured in 18 points and dished out eight assists. Wilton Causey recorded a double-double off the bench, tallying 10 points and collecting 10 rebounds.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene will travel to New England College February 12.