NEW LONDON, Conn. – Despite a late push for the win, the Emmanuel men's basketball program came up short on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Mitchell Mariners, 79-70, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play from the Yarnell Athletic Center.

The Mariners move to 11-6 (3-3 GNAC) with the victory and improve to 6-1 at the Yarnell Center this season. Emmanuel drops to 2-15 (1-5 GNAC) in the loss.

Mitchell's hot start contributed to their ability to hold the lead for nearly the entire game as the Mariners opened play with a 23-9 run in the opening 9:14. Shooting 9-for-13 in the run as a team, junior Eddie Volkerts scored nine of the Mariners 23 points to start the game.

The home side led by double digits for most of the remaining 10:46 of the first half, but Emmanuel closed the gap by the half. Trailing 31-20 with 5:20 left, the Saints outscored the Mariners 13-6 to end the half, thanks in part to six points by sophomore Cameron Snowden, which helped the Saints to a 37-33 deficit at the half.

Emmanuel managed to overtake Mitchell early in the second half with a three-pointer in the opening minutes by sophomore Noah Beaudet that gave the Saints a 40-39 edge. The Mitchell answer came immediately with eight straight points, including six for senior Jaylyn Clardy, putting the Mariners back in front, 47-40.

Despite numerous comeback attempts by the Saints, the Mariners held the lead until the final buzzer. Mitchell helped their cause with a 13-3 spurt in a span of 4:41, through the middle of the second half, lifting them to a 68-57 lead with 5:16 remaining.

Emmanuel made one final push, using a 6-0 scoring spree to cut the deficit to 74-70 with 2:02 remaining, but the Saints would be held off the board over those final 2:02, as the Mariners held on for a nine-point victory.

Volkerts scored a game-high 27 points on 12-for-20 shooting from the floor. The junior guard added nine rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. Clardy added 23 points in the win, shooting 8-of-16 on the afternoon.

Saints sophomore Mahari Guerrier scored a team-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds. Fellow sophomore Connor Hanavan added 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Saints finish out January with a trip to Regis on Wednesday, facing the Pride in GNAC action at 7:00 p.m. The Mariners travel to the University of Saint Joseph on Wednesday night for a conference tip at 7:00 p.m.