Men’s Basketball Drops Thriller to Hawks
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hartford | 36 | 48 | 84 |
|
Mitchell | 43 | 40 | 83 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The University of Hartford's Ben Miller knocked down a go-ahead jump shot with two-tenths of a second on the clock, sending the Hawks past Mitchell College, 84–83, on Tuesday night in non-conference action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Mitchell trailed 81–76 with the clock slipping under two minutes before sophomore guard Adrian Alicea (Miami, Fla.) knocked down four straight free throws across two possessions to trim the deficit to 81–80. Hartford answered with a single free throw of its own, setting up a final push with Mitchell down 82–80 and the crowd on its feet.
With seven seconds left, junior Troy Butler (Manchester, Conn.) darted down the lane, drawing two defenders before slipping a pass to Brandon Lee (Stockton, Calif.). The senior forward rose through contact and banked in the tying layup—82–82—sending the bench into a frenzy.
Following a Hartford timeout, the inbounds pass went to Miller, who advanced the ball up the court before sinking a step-back jumper to give the visiting squad the edge.
A Hartford technical foul with less than a second remaining gave Mitchell a final glimmer of hope, but Butler went 1-of-2 from the stripe, sealing the Hawks' victory.
The Mariners controlled long stretches behind a balanced attack. Lee owned the paint with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Alicea came off the bench firing, pouring in a game-high 19 points, including five threes. Butler added 16, while sophomore Abdul Mansaray (Jacksonville, Fla.) and freshman Jaxyn Beaudet (New London, Conn.) anchored the boards to help Mitchell win the rebounding battle, 35–31.
The Mariners shot 46.8 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range but narrowly lost the battle in the paint, 38–36.
Miller and Kyle Winters paced the Hartford offense with 18 points apiece, while Winters added 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.
Following a break for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Mariners (2–5, 0–0 GNAC) will return to the court on Sunday, November 30, with an exhibition against Division I University of New Haven before picking back up at home against Rivier University on Tuesday, December 2.
