Comeback Falls Short for Men’s Basketball at Rivier
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (4-11,0-3 Great N) | 25 | 43 | 68 |
|
Rivier (8-7,2-1 Great No) | 34 | 37 | 71 |
NASHUA, N.H. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to take a late lead but came up just short on the road against Rivier University, 71–68, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Wednesday evening at the Muldoon Center.
After the two squads traded baskets early, the Raiders seized control and carried a 34–25 lead into halftime. Rivier kept up the momentum early in the second half and went ahead by 16 on a three-pointer by Robenson Baguidy with 15:52 on the clock. The Raiders maintained the pressure and led by 15 with 8:45 remaining before the Mitchell offense came to life.
The visitors then went on a 15–1 run behind a trio of three-pointers by sophomore Adrian Alicea (Miami, Fla.), trimming the deficit to one.
Junior Troy Butler (Manchester, Conn.) knocked down a jumper to give Mitchell its first lead since the first half, and Butler followed with a layup at the 3:44 mark to put the Mariners ahead 66–61. Following a pair of Rivier free throws, freshman Zaveyn Tate (Bristol, Conn.) hit a turnaround jumper to keep the Mitchell advantage at five points, but a flurry of late baskets and free throws by Rivier helped the Raiders secure the victory in dramatic fashion.
Sophomore Abdul Mansaray (Jacksonville, Fla.) paced the Mariners with 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting, along with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Butler added 18 points, and Alicea finished with 11 points off the bench, connecting on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Izaiah Shaw-Glen netted a game-high 33 points in the win for Rivier, while also pulling down seven rebounds and blocking three shots.
Mitchell held a shooting advantage from the floor (50.8% to 44.6%) and from three-point range (35.7% to 28.6%), but the Raiders won the rebounding battle, 38–29, and forced 14 turnovers.
The Mariners (4–10, 0–2 GNAC) will look for their first conference win of the season when they host Elms College on Saturday, January 17, at 1:00 p.m.
