NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought non-conference clash against Mitchell College on Thursday evening by a 94-89 final score at "The Nest" inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
Leading the way for the Falcons was Terry Dawkins (Bronx, N.Y.), with a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds. Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.) was next on the team with 15 points, while Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) came off the bench and contributed a career-high 13.
THE BASICS
Final: Mitchell 94 | Albertus Magnus 89
Records: Albertus Magnus (5-2) | Mitchell (4-7)
Box Score
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons started the game by going ahead 6-0 through the first 1:16. Dawkins scored four of the contest's first six points on a pair of free throws and a layup. Mitchell answered by scoring six of the following 10 points to even that game at 10-all by the 14:04 mark.
Albertus stormed ahead over the next six-plus minutes, building its lead to a half-high 10 points, 34-24, by the 8:11 mark. Crawford exploded for six points during the 10-0 run. Mekhi Warren (New Haven, Conn.) also got in on the action by putting down a powerful two-handed slam dunk.
Despite the double-digit deficit, the Mariners continued to fight, tying the score at 38-all with 4:07 remaining in the half. Although the first half was tightly contested through the first 16 minutes, the Falcons dominated the final four minutes. AMC ended the half by scoring nine of the final 11 points to take a 47-40 advantage into the locker room at the break. Dawkins and Crawford led the way for the home team in the first half with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Falcons remained hot to start the second half, adding to their lead over the first 2:23 with a 9-4 surge to go ahead by 12, 56-44. Davon Warner (New Haven, Conn.) capped off the early run with five straight points on a 3-pointer and a layup.
Mitchell did not stay down long, rallying to tie the score at 63 by the 12:46 mark. Jalen Benson helmed the 10-minute run with eight of the 19 points.
Both teams continued battling for the remainder of the game, keeping within four or less points of the other. A pair of made free throws from Perkins with 33 seconds remaining gave Albertus a one-point lead, 89-88, however, these were the last points the Falcons scored. Unfortunately for AMC, the Mariners went on a 6-0 run over the final 30 seconds to secure the 94-89 victory.
TEAM STATS
Albertus: 45.2% FG | 23.8% 3PT | 66.7% FT
Mitchell: 51.4% FG | 46.2% 3PT | 66.7% FT
KEY PERFORMERS
Albertus:
Terry Dawkins - 18 points (6-8 FG, 6-8 FT) | 9 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 block
Tyreek Perkins - 15 points (5-16 FG, 1-5 3 PT, 4-4 FT) | 2 rebounds | 7 assists
Kevin Crawford - 13 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 3-5 FT) | 3 rebounds | 4 assists | 4 steals | 1 block
Mitchell:
Mikey Buscetto - 23 points (9-17 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-4 FT) | 7 rebounds | 6 assists | 4 steal
Jalen Benson - 23 points (9-17 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-4 FT) | 7 rebounds | 1 assist | 3 steals
Alfonzo Stokes - 12 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-4 FT) | 2 rebounds | 3 assist | 1 steal
Jacob Narvaez - 11 points (3-7 FG, 5-9 FT) | 9 rebounds | 4 assists | 1 steal
Dontae Pollard - 11 points (4-10 FG, 1-1 3 PT, 2-2 FT) | 4 rebounds | 1 assist | 1 steal | 1 block
NOTEWORTHY
- Tonight's game was the 17th all-time meeting between the Falcons and Mariners.
- Crawford posted a career-high 13 points.
- Dawkins tallied a season-high 18 points.
- Dawkins was also one rebound shy of his second double-double of the season.
- Perkins has finished in double figures in all but one game this year.
- Perkins handed out a season-high seven assists.
- With 15 points tonight, Perkins is up to 964 in his career.
UP NEXT
The Falcons will return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Tuesday, Jan. 4, with a road tilt against Johnson & Wales (R.I.) University. The opening tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. at the Wildcat Center in Providence, R.I.