New London — The first time Mitchell College had a significant lead, in the first half Saturday, the Mariners quickly saw it dissipate by halftime, tied with Connecticut College in a men's basketball matchup between cross-New London "brothers," as Mitchell coach Todd Peretz would later refer to the teams.

The second time, in the closing minutes, Mitchell got the ball to Domenico Santiago, the Mariners' 6-foot-5, 260-pound center. Santiago entered the game leading the team with a field goal percentage of .696, as much of a sure thing as Peretz's team can get.

"I like that my teammates trust me enough to get me the ball," said Santiago, a junior. "By the same token, they know if you double-team me, I'll kick it back out."

Following a timeout with 4 minutes, 17 seconds to play with Mitchell clinging to a four-point lead, Santiago either scored or got the offensive rebound that led to the Mariners' next three baskets in an eventual 75-68 victory over Conn at Luce Field House.

Brayvon Young led Mitchell (3-5) with 17 points, including four 3-pointers, and Santiago added 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Hasani Williams had 12 points and Steffen Brunson 10.

Tied 36-36 at the break, the teams traded the lead 10 times to start the second half. Mitchell then responded by hitting six straight shots from the outside, including three 3-pointers, to not only take the lead for good but push the margin to as many as 11.

Brunson hit a 3 to put Mitchell in front 53-50. Conn went to Patrick Lazor inside to pull within 53-52, but Brunson answered with another 3 to prompt a 10-0 run. After Brunson's second shot from long-distance, Williams hit a shot from the right side, Young made a 3-pointer and Brunson hit a jump shot for a 63-52 Mariners lead.

Mitchell sealed the win by going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 28 seconds.

"We had a stretch there, we really couldn't cash in on offense; we had good looks on almost every possession, so you can't be too upset at them," Conn coach Tom Satran said. "(Mitchell) played great. They came in and took it."

"Anytime we play Conn or anytime we play Coast Guard, I get excited about it," said Peretz, in his 19th season as coach, having ushered the Mariners into New England Collegiate Conference and NCAA Division III play after Mitchell's longtime stint as a junior college team. "We're like the little brother down in the sixth district. They're good wins for us. The last five or six years, we've been much more competitive with both institutions."

Mitchell has played a difficult nonconference schedule to begin the season, leading into their NECC slate beginning Jan. 9. The Mariners have faced Wesleyan, ranked 18th in Division III (107-64 loss) and Division I Sacred Heart (84-60 loss).

They've also missed senior point guard Alan Young for three and a half games during the early going with a high ankle sprain, hoping to see Young healthy for the second semester.

On Saturday, Santiago was going against a Conn roster which lists 10 players who are 6-foot-4 or taller, including three at 6-7.

"Every game we come in, I try not to focus on what the other team has, just us," Santiago said. "... Every day we work; I work on trying to be able to be more of a threat offensively. Every day we try to improve at least 1 percent."

"The last game we lost against Albertus, Dom only had nine shots. He was 7-for-9 from the floor," Peretz said. "He's not a selfish kid by any stretch of the imagination, but why not give it to him more, go through him? He's the consummate team player."

Sophomore Ben Bagnoli had a career-high 23 points for Conn (4-5), Dan Draffan had 15 points and Phil Leotsakos 14 points and 14 rebounds.

The Camels now take a break for final exams, returning for a game Dec. 28 against City College of New York. Conn ventures into NESCAC play Jan. 5 vs. Middlebury. Four teams in the league are ranked in Division III: No. 2 Middlebury, No. 6 Williams, Wesleyan and No. 21 Amherst.

v.fulkerson@theday.com