NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Mitchell College women's basketball team
wrapped up the regular season with a 64-50 victory over Becker
College on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Junior Alix
O'Neil scored a career-high 22 points while senior Jennifer Iglesias
added 20 to pace the Mariners (12-11 overall, 12-4 NECC). Courtney
Fiske led the Hawks (8-17 overall, 8-8 NECC) with 16 points while
Heidi Miller added 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Mitchell trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half. A
jumper by Fiske gave Becker a 27-15 lead with 3:13 play in the
stanza, though the Mariners scored the last six points of the half
to whittle the deficit down to six. Iglesias kept Mitchell in the
contest with 11 points in the period while the rest of the team
combined for 10 points on 4-of-21 shooting.
The Hawks never led by more than six in the second half but stayed
in front until the 12-minute mark. A layup by freshman Risheba Williams
finally gave the Mariners their first lead at 38-37, part of a 15-0
run that left Mitchell with a 12-point advantage with 8:38 to play
in the game. O'Neil scored 10 points during the stretch to lead the
way for the Mariners.
The Mariners never let the lead dip below double digits the rest of
the way and cruised to victory. Mitchell shot 40 percent from the
floor and forced 27 turnovers. Iglesias, who was honored prior to
the contest in a special Senior Day ceremony, finished with six
rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals to add to the 24th
20-point scoring game of her career. O'Neil also grabbed six boards
and shot 9-for-15 from the floor.
The Hawks shot 33 percent for the contest and held a 45-34
advantage on the boards. Shannon Tibbetts added seven points, five
rebounds and three assists in the defeat.
Mitchell will be the third seed in the upcoming NECC Championship.
The Mariners will host sixth-seeded Newbury College in a
first-round match-up on Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m.