Mariners top Seahawks in double overtime, 121-118

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College overcame a late deficit in regulation and hung on in double overtime for a 121-118 victory over Salve Regina University on Tuesday night in non-conference men's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center. 

The Mariners trailed by eight with 34 seconds remaining in regulation but rallied back with a trio of three-pointers to send the game into extra time. Mitchell led by three in the first overtime before Salve Regina's Rodney Morton (Malden, Mass./Tabor Academy) tied the score again with 2.4 seconds remaining. In the second and final OT, Domenico Santiago (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Port St. Lucie) scored four points and blocked two shots as the home team squeezed out the win.

Mitchell (4-5 overall) picked up its second win over the Seahawks this season. Hasani Williams (Miramar, Fla./Hallandale) netted a career-high 33 points and added 12 rebounds and four steals to pace the Mariners. Santiago shot 12-for-15 from the floor for 26 points and chipped in 11 boards and five blocks. Brayvon Young (Port St. Lucie, Fla./St. Lucie West Centennial) hit six three-pointers and finished with 20 points while Steffen Brunson (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) and Mack Betram-Gregory (Stockton, Calif./Tokay) contributed 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Salve Regina (5-4 overall) shot 59 percent as a team and 43 percent from three-point range. Morton led all scorers with a season-high 38 points and shot 7-for-12 from deep. Isaiah Bowman (Roxbury, Mass./B.C. High) finished with 24 points and Cameron Collins (Oakdale, Conn./Montville) added 20, while Kevin Mannix (Barrington, R.I./ La Salle Academy) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.

Mitchell led 45-38 at halftime but saw the lead vanish just three minutes into the second stanza. Bowman tied the game at 49-49 with an old-fashion three-point play, though the Mariners recovered with a Santiago lay-up to push back in front.

Later in the half, a fast-break dunk by Morton gave Salve Regina its first lead since the early stages of the contest. Morton fueled the Seahawks with 21 points in the period as the visitors went back on top with 11:09 to go in regulation.

After a three-pointer by Young brought Mitchell to within one at 93-92, Salve Regina responded with seven straight—including five from Bowman—to take its largest lead at 100-92 with 34 seconds to play. The Mariners then drained back-to-back threes in an eight-second span, the first from Brunson and the second by Young following a steal by Williams.

A quick foul put Bowman at the free throw line with a chance to pad Salve's two-point lead. He made the first but missed the second, giving the Mariners a chance at the game-tying three. Young drained the ensuing attempt with seven seconds to go, and a miss by Morton on the final possession of regulation left the score tied at 101-101.

The tables were turned in the first overtime as Mitchell led by three with eight seconds remaining following a pair of free throws by Williams. This time it was Morton who drained the tying three with 2.4 seconds to go, and the Mariners failed to get off a good attempt before the buzzer.

The teams traded buckets in the first three minutes of the second OT. The Mariners pulled ahead for good on a lay-up by Brunson with 1:27 left, then added to the margin with a pair of free throws from Santiago. Both Mitchell possessions came after big blocks by Santiago on the defensive end.

Down four with five seconds remaining, Salve Regina used full-court pressure to force a turnover and cut the deficit in half on a quick score by Morton. Brunson then made one of two at the line to bring the Mitchell lead back to three with 1.4 seconds left on the clock, giving the Seahawks a sliver of hope for another chance at extending the game. This time, however, a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play all but ended the contest.

Mitchell shot 55 percent as a team and 48 percent from downtown. The Mariners also forced 22 turnovers while committing a season-low nine.

Mitchell will next play at Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, December 16 at noon. Salve Regina returns to action at Coast Guard on Sunday, December 31 at 1 p.m.