The top-seeded Mitchell College men's basketball team captured the 2023 New England Collegiate Conference championship on Saturday afternoon, rolling past third-seeded New England College 109-85 at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
Mikey Buscetto (5'10''-PG) (Waterford, Conn.), who was named tournament MVP, finished with 29 points (9-16 overall, 8-13 from three), nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals. Joining Buscetto on the All-Tournament team was fellow senior Alfonzo Stokes (6'1''-G) (Bloomfield, Conn.), who finished with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jalen Benson (6'0''-PG) (New London, Conn.) added 16 points, Robert Zirlis (6'6''-C) (Clinton, Conn.) tallied 15 points, and Wilton Causey (6'6''-F) (Worcester, Mass.) came off the bench to produce 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Mariners (23-4 overall) won the league title for the fourth time in their history (2014, 2019, 2022), the second year in a row, and have earned the conference's automatic bid for the NCAA Championship. The entire Division III men's field will be announced via NCAA.com on Monday, February 27 at 12:30 p.m.
The Mariners never trailed in this one, allowing the Pilgrims to tie the game twice early before building a steady lead that would sustain them through the duration of the game. Buscetto capped the opening half by draining a trio of three-pointers in a span of just over two minutes, igniting the home crowd and sending Mitchell into halftime with a 16-point advantage.
Mitchell maintained a steady lead through a second half which was slowed by the referee's whistle. The two teams combined for 27 fouls in the second frame, and the Mariners took advantage, shooting 74.1% from the stripe in the final 20-minute period while watching their lead grow to as large as 30 points.
For the game, Mitchell shot 52.2% from the floor, 54.5% from three, and 71.1% from the free throw line. The Mariners controlled down low, outrebounding New England College 44-35 and scoring 38 points in the paint. The Mitchell defense held the Pilgrims to just 3-10 from three-point territory and forced 19 turnovers, which in turn led to 25 points off turnovers.
Alex Williams paced New England College (8-18 overall) with 21 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out down the stretch. Jasen Stovall chipped in 13 points for the Pilgrims and Kyle Inglis added 12.

Courtesy of neccathletics.com

All-Tournament MVP: Mikey Buscetto (5'10''-PG) of Mitchell
Player of the Year: Alfonzo Stokes (6'1''-G) of Mitchell
Defensive Player of the Year: Jalen Benson (6'0''-PG) of Mitchell
Rookie of the Year: Jasen Stovall (5'10''-G) of New England C.
Coach of the Year: Todd Peretz of Mitchell

All-NECC First Team 2023

McGuinness

White

Benson

Buscetto

Stokes

First Team
Bernie McGuinness (6'2''-G/F) of E.Nazarene
Levi White (6'5''-F) of E.Nazarene
Jalen Benson (6'0''-PG) of Mitchell
Mikey Buscetto (5'10''-PG) of Mitchell
Alfonzo Stokes (6'1''-G) of Mitchell
Kyle Inglis (6'0''-PG) of New England C.

All-Sportsmanship Team
Kobe Jones (6'2''-G) of E.Nazarene
DJ Alexander (6'0''-PG) of Lesley
Ahmani Browne (6'4''-G-2000) of Mitchell
Alex Williams (6'4''-G) of New England C.

All-Tournament Team
Christian Castro (6'0''-PG) of Lesley
Jawaun Moore (5'11''-PG) of E.Nazarene
Alex Williams (6'4''-G) of New England C.
Kyle Inglis (6'0''-PG) of New England C.
Alfonzo Stokes (6'1''-G) of Mitchell
Mikey Buscetto (5'10''-PG) of Mitchell