NEW LONDON, Conn. - Isaiah Earl (Hamden, Conn.) had a monster double-double with 16 points, a career-high 19 rebounds  to go with four blocks as the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team defeated Mitchell College, 87-74 on Wednesday evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest.

Ta'zhon Daniels (New Haven, Conn.) tied for the game-high with 24 points with four assists and four steals. Ray Ford, Jr. (Jersey City, N.J.) scored 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists.

Nate Charlot (Monroe, Conn.) scored 11 points and had a career-high seven rebounds.

Daniels moved up to eighth all-time in scoring in program history and now has 1,328 points in his career.

THE BASICS

FINAL: Albertus 87 | Mitchell 74

RECORDS: Albertus (15-7, 7-2 GNAC) | Mitchell (7-15, 3-7 GNAC)

BOX

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Each starter scored in the first 5:49 of the first half as the Falcons took an early 11-7 lead. Avery Hinnant (Naugatuck, Conn.) scored four points during the opening stretch. 
• The two teams tied two more times before the Mariners took a 20-16 lead after Troy Butler hit back-to-back threes. However, Albertus responded in a big way with nine straight points of its own. Daniels started with a layup and an offensive rebound and put back from Earl tied the game. A block from Earl led to a layup from Kirkland and two possessions later a steal from Daniels led to another basket from Kirkland. Charlot then hit a three to put the Falcons ahead 27-20  with 7:36 left in the first half.
• Mitchell went on a 10-0 run of its own and took a 30-27 lead with 4:35 left.
• Over the final 4:28 of the first half, the Falcons outscored the Mariners, 14-6, including 10 points from Daniels. Daniels finished with 14 points in the first half. Earl had 10 rebounds to go with six points. There were six lead changes and eight ties in the first half.
• Abdul Mansaray scored 11 of the first 13 points for the Mariners to start the second half as they took a 49-47 lead at the 15:53 mark. Charlot scored the first four points of the second half for the Falcons.
• The teams could not separate from each other as there were six ties and eight lead changes over the first 10 minutes of the second half. 
• With the game tied at 60, a free throw from Daniels followed by five straight points from Ford, Jr. made it a 66-60 game with 9:25 left.
• Albertus kept at least a two possession lead over the next six minutes, but a stepback three from Ford, Jr. and two free throws by Earl gave the Falcons their first double digit lead of the game at 79-68. Earl grabbed the rebound on the ensuing defensive possession for the Falcons which led to a one-handed fastbreak jam by Ford, Jr. to give the Falcons the 81-68 lead with under three minutes left. Two more dunks by Earl and Ford in the final minute sealed the game for the Falcons.
• Ford, Jr. shot 7-for-8 from the field in the second half and scored 16 points. Earl had 10 points and was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line to go with nine rebounds in the second half. Daniels also scored 10 points in the half.

TEAM STATS

Albertus

46.9 FG% | 33.3 3PT% |  66.7 FT%

Mitchell

52.5 FG% | 44.4 3PT% | 50.0 FT%

TOP PERFORMERS

Albertus

Ta'zhon Daniels 24 PTS | 4 ASTS | 4 STLS

Isaiah Earl 16 PTS | 19 REBS | 4 BLKS

Ray Ford, Jr. 16 PTS | 9 REBS | 4 BLKS

Nate Charlot 11 PTS | 5-7 FG | 7 REBS

Mitchell

Abdul Mansaray 24 PTS | 5 REBS | 4 ASTS

Troy Butler 20 PTS | 2-5 3PT |

Brandon Lee 11 PTS | 10 PTS | 5 ASTS

NOTEWORTHY

• Ford, Jr. reached 700 points in his career at Albertus and now has 706 points as a Falcon. 
• Albertus is 17-4 all-time against Mitchell.
• Earl has nine blocks over his last two games.
• Albertus outrebounded Mitchell, 44-24.
• The Falcons finished with 29 fastbreak points, while holding Mitchell to just seven.

UP NEXT

The Falcons return home to take on Lasell at 3 p.m. in The Nest on Saturday, February 14th.