Nighthawks Complete Season Sweep of Mariners, 79-70

The Newbury College men’s basketball team defeated the visiting Mariners of Mitchell College, 79-70, Saturday afternoon in NECC action.  Nighthawks’ sophomore guard Tim Young (Brockton, MA/Brockton) led all scoring in the game with 23 points and Peterson Bernard (Boston, MA/Madison Park) recorded his ninth double-double of the season tallying 18 points and 14 rebounds.   Freshman forward Chris Thomas (Orlando, FL/Dr. Phillips) led the Mariners with 14 points scored and 5 boards in defeat.
 
The Nighthawks battled back from the Mariners early lead, 8-2, to begin the game.   Newbury chipped away at the deficit to tie the game 11-11 with Justin Frank (Mamaroneck, NY/Rye Neck) picking the pocket of Tim Quinn (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) with Young completing the layup.   Young’s jumper, assisted by Chris Torres (Brockton, MA/Brockton), with 8:34 on the clock gave Newbury the lead for the first time in the game.  Nighthawks increased the lead to ten, 40-30, lead by Newbury senior guard John Rowley’s (Hartford, Conn./Rockville) ten first-half points.  Rowley finished his Senior Day game with 22 points and 6 assists.
 
Newbury’s momentum continued after the half scoring eight unanswered points.  A 14-2 Mariners’ run led by junior guard Paul Jefferson (Waterbury, Conn./Waterbury Arts Magnet School) pulled them within four points, 50-46, with 12:35 remaining in the game.  At 7:51, Alex Del Rio’s (New Britain Conn./Plainville) steal and layup tied the game 54-54.  The Mariners took the lead for the first time since early in the first half, 58-56, but it was short-lived.  Young completed a three-point play netting his free-throw after going coast-to-coast sinking a layup giving the Nighthawks the lead for good.  Rondell Best’s (Brockton, MA/Brockton) slam-dunk, assisted by Rowley, ended the game putting an exclamation point on Newbury’s victory.
 
Newbury College’s overall record improves to 10-13 and 8-5 in the NECC.  Mitchell College falls to 1-20 overall and 0-12 in conference play.   The Nighthawks return to action in their final game of the regular season next Saturday, February 19th when they tip-off against Southern Vermont College in Bennington, VT at 1:00pm.

- Game photo by: Samantha Yanofsky