Second-Half Surge Powers Men’s Basketball Past Rivier
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rivier | 43 | 30 | 73 |
|
Mitchell | 33 | 41 | 74 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to upend Rivier University, 74–73, in a non-conference matchup between the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foes on Monday evening at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Mitchell sophomore Abdul Mansaray (Jacksonville, Fla.) paced all scorers with 21 points, adding 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Junior guard Troy Butler (Manchester, Conn.) contributed 18 points in the win, while freshman Jaxyn Beaudet (Groton, Conn.) narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Additionally, senior Brandon Lee (Stockton, Calif.) pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.
Trailing by 10 at intermission, the Mariners began chipping away but were unable to overtake the Raiders for much of the second half. Down by four with 26 seconds remaining, Butler drew a foul and went to the line, sinking 1-of-2 shots to trim the Mitchell deficit to 73–70. Following a missed Rivier free throw, sophomore Lukas Sward (Bristol, Conn.) drew a foul with 19 seconds on the clock and knocked down both shots to make it a one-point game.
Mitchell immediately fouled, but Rivier's Steph Barnes missed both attempts from the charity stripe, and the Mariners came down with the rebound. Looking for a buzzer-beater, Butler went up with a three from the corner with just over a second remaining and drew the foul, then made 2-of-3 from the line to give Mitchell its first lead of the second half and secure its third win of the season.
The two squads shot evenly from the floor—Mitchell at 46.7 percent to Rivier's 44.8 percent. The Mariners held slight advantages from both three-point range and the foul line, with Rivier missing several key free throws in the closing moments.
Robenson Baguidy led the Raiders with 20 points, while Izaiah Shaw-Glen (16 points), Jamari Williams (11 points, 8 rebounds), and Barnes (10 points) also finished in double figures.
The Mariners (3-6, 0-0 GNAC) return to action on Saturday, December 13, when they host Johnson & Wales University in a non-conference matchup at 1:00 p.m.
