NEW LONDON, Conn. – Despite strong offensive efforts, Regis men's basketball dropped to Mitchell College, 85-75, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

In a game that featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes, the Mariners carried a one-point lead into halftime. The Pride began the second half with a three ball by Gehrig Brynda (Deerfield, Mass.) to jump on top, 39-37, but back-to-back baskets by Volkerts and Lee put Mitchell back in the lead, 41-39. Regis knotted the score twice more over the ensuring minutes, and a three-point play by Russell Rau (Westminster, Mass.) had the Pride up 46-43 with 16:14 on the clock. Mitchell continued its push with a pair of free throws, before a basket from the Pride bumped its lead back to three points with 15:24 remaining.

The Mariners took the lead for good on a three-pointer at the 14:09 mark, before a 15-9 run followed which gave the Mariners a 65-58 edge leading into a Regis timeout with just over eight minutes to play. The Pride got it to within five points on two occasions down the stretch, but the Mariners had an answer each time and were able to fend off a Regis comeback, building a lead which grew to as large as 10.

Rau netted a game-high 34 points for Regis, shooting 12-22 from the floor. Dashon Smith Adams (New Haven, Conn.) added 14 off the bench, while Aamyr Sullivan (Middletown, N.Y.) finished with seven points, five assists, five steals, and two rebounds.

Both Regis and Mitchell shot similar percentages, with the Mariners finishing 41.3% overall to 43.3% for the Pride. The Mariners held a large advantage in the paint, however, outrebounding Regis 53-26, while also forcing 16 turnovers.

Regis (5-10, 0-4 GNAC) is scheduled to play next at Norwich University on Tuesday, Jan. 21, while the Mariners (10-5, 2-2 GNAC) return to the court on Tuesday, January 21, with a road GNAC showdown at Elms College.