Men’s Basketball Edged by Mitchell in NECC Championship, 87-83

QUINCY, Mass.-  The No. 1 seed Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team fell to second-seeded Mitchell 87-83 in a thrilling New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship game Saturday afternoon at the Lahue Athletic Center.

The Lions finish the season with a 14-12 overall record with the result. The Mariners clinched their third NECC title with the win and improved to 17-10 on the year.

Levi Grady-White (Springfield, Mass.) and Bernie McGuinness (Cumming, Ga.) were both selected to the NECC All-Tournament Team. Mitchell's Ahmani Browne earned All-Tournament honors while Mikey Buscetto was named Most Valuable Player.

McGuinness poured in a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds. Nick Manso (Brick, N.J.) netted 13 points and added five assists. Ozzy Traill III (Valley Stream, N.Y.) registered 12 points and six assists on the day. Ka'Shaun Swan (Lawrenceville, Ga.) chipped in with 12 points off the bench while Will Zarges (Quincy, Mass.) tallied eight points and four boards.

The home team constructed a six-point advantage with 14:40 remaining in the first half on a layup by Corey McGhee (Alexandria, Va.), 12-6.

The visitors battled back to claim a 19-18 edge with less than eight minutes to go in the opening period as Wilton Causey tossed in a put-back layup.

After a dunk by Swan put Eastern Nazarene ahead 22-19, Mitchell responded with a 7-0 run to seize a 26-22 lead with 5:10 on the clock in the first frame.

The Lions regained a four-point advantage, 34-30, as McGuinness splashed a corner trey with 2:09 to go in the half.

The Mariners chalked up the final seven points of the opening period to hold a 37-34 lead at the break.

Eastern Nazarene shot 41.9% from the floor and 44.4% from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes of action. Mitchell posted a field-goal percentage of 43.2% in the opening frame and connected on 3-of-11 from long distance.

The hosts captured a 51-46 lead with 13:39 on the clock as Swan knocked down a jumper.

The Lions widened the gap to seven, 60-53, on a bucket by Swan with 10:47 left to play in regulation.

Eastern Nazarene extended its advantage to double-digits with 7:46 to go as Traill canned a three-pointer, 71-61.

Mitchell cut the deficit to 75-73 with 5:52 remaining on a trey by Alfonzo Stokes.

After the home side snagged a six-point edge on a three-pointer by Zarges, the Mariners rattled off eight unanswered points to jump ahead 83-81 with 1:35 left to play.

The Lions leveled the game at 83-83 as McGuinness rolled in a layup with 1:16 on the clock.

The guests reclaimed a two-point lead on a pair of free throws by Causey with 37 seconds remaining, 85-83. Mitchell stretched its advantage to 87-83 as Causey banked in a put-back layup to seal the Mariners third conference championship.

Eastern Nazarene concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 48.5% while draining 12-of-22 from beyond the arc. Mitchell shot 43.8% from the deck and 25.9% from three-point territory on the afternoon.

Browne posted a double-double to lead the Mariners with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Buscetto notched 17 points, six assists, and four steals and Stokes contributed 17 points. Off the bench, Causey finished with 13 points and seven boards while Hunter Baillargeon added 10 points.