New London — A championship culture is gradually taking root in the Mitchell College women's basketball program.

Every day in every way.

"We talk about being a championship team in everything we do every day — every day in the classroom, on the court, in practice," second-year coach Courtney Burns said. "We talk a lot about what a championship team looks like. I have them visually talk about it.

"We set standards. Of course, there are times when we slip and we hold each other accountable. ... It's just a great culture of everybody together this year."

It shows on the court.

Mitchell (6-5, 5-0) delivered a strong overall team performance Tuesday, moving into sole possession of first place in the New England Collegiate Conference standings with a convincing 71-53 victory over Elms College (6-6, 2-3). The Mariners hold a slim lead over Eastern Nazarene and Becker College, both at 4-1.

Culture isn't the only thing that's improved from last season.

Five promising newcomers have injected some depth and talent into the program. Two players — skilled 6-foot forward Amina Wiley and athletic point guard Le'Sandra Turner, two former teammates at New Rochelle (N.Y.) High School — sparked the offense Tuesday.

Wiley, the recent NECC rookie of the week, finished with game highs in points (24) and rebounds (13) and also added three steals and two blocks in a productive 25 minutes. Turner chipped in 16 points, six assists and three steals while playing all but three minutes, a sign of her value to the team.

"I feel like it's coming together more than when we first started the season," Wiley said. "It was a tough time coming in but we all got together and we grew together. And now it's perfect."

The starting lineup also features newcomer Kelsey Hernandez, who played the last two seasons at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Burns also can rely on veterans like starters Kate McCormack and Francesca Pinard, the team's only seniors who've provided valuable leadership.

"It's been instant offense for us, which is nice," Burns said of the addition of the newcomers. "But even more so than the talent, it's just the work ethic that those kids bring coupled with the work ethic of our returners. We have 12 people on our roster who come in every single day to make each other better. We're working for a common goal, being that championship team every day."

The Mariners seized command early against Elms and never trailed. They built a 10-point lead (32-22) at halftime and then shifted into warp drive to race away in the third quarter.

An active defense forced mistakes, leading to fast break baskets. The Blazers, who had 21 turnovers overall and shot an icy 24.2 percent from the field, went over six minutes without a field goal.

"I think tonight was probably our biggest defensive effort of everybody collectively playing together," Burns said.

In one impressive breakout, McCormick dribbled down the court, found Turner who made a quick pass to Wiley for a layup. Turner started and ended a decisive 17-1 spurt with driving baskets.

Holding a 49-23 advantage, the Mariners watched their lead gradually slip to 14 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Coming out of a timeout, sophomore Marissa Sweeney (11 points, six rebounds), the team's glue player, helped the Mariners regain momentum with a three-point play. Wiley scored eight points in the final quarter and 16 points in the second half overall to hold off Elms.

With her performance on Tuesday, Wiley pushed his scoring and rebounding averages to 14.8 points and 10 rebounds, both team highs.

Wiley, who took a year off after graduating high school before coming to Mitchell, is following Burns' advice. She's worked hard on improving her conditioning.

"She said that I'm a phenomenal player and that if I work hard, I could achieve what I want to achieve," Wiley said. "So I took that and I did what I could do."

g.keefe@theday.com