AUBURN, ME – It's not every day you get to participate in a national tournament – let alone a national championship game.  The Lady Mustangs did just that this season, making the 2013-14 campaign one for the history books.  Although the ultimate goal was to win the national title, the Lady Mustangs fell just short in the second half to the University of Cincinnati-Clermont in the USCAA DII National Championship Game. 

CM joined only Bowdoin College (2004) and the University of Southern Maine (2006) as the only women's basketball teams from the state of Maine to ever reach a national championship game. 

During this season, achievements were aplenty for the Lady Mustangs.  The season started with four exhibition wins vs. NCAA DIII schools (vs. Thomas, @ Thomas, @ Lyndon State, and @ Husson).  The early competition set the tone for CM early on, and after their first set-back of the season to CCRI (11/3/13), the Lady Mustangs ripped off 18 straight wins before falling to UMPI (2/8/14).  After their only second loss of the season, CM won their final two Yankee Conference games to finish the regular season at 23-2 overall and 14-0 in the conference.  This capped the second straight undefeated regular season in the Yankee Conference.  In fact, the Lady Mustangs have not lost to a conference opponent since January 23^rd, 2012 (vs. UMA).

CM entered the Yankee Conference Tournament at the #1 seed and the overwhelming favorite.  In their quarterfinal game, the Lady Mustangs pounded Unity, using their depth to coast to the easy win.  In the semi-final, CMCC met a scrappy Vermont Tech team.  Playing with a sense of urgency and with their mind on the mission at hand, CM destroyed VTC, 107-60, to advance to the Yankee Conference Championship Game.  In the final, the Lady Mustangs met up with the Moose of UMaine-Augusta – who had upset SMCC in the other semi-final.  After trailing 7-6 early on, CM dominated the rest of the game, finishing out their 3^rd straight Yankee Conference Tournament Championship, 100-48, over the Moose.

Having secured their three-peat, the Lady Mustangs turned their attention to the USCAA DII National Tournament.  The USCAA announced tournament seeding via the Selection Show, and CM found themselves as the national tournament's #1 seed!  The Lady Mustangs were matched-up against the #8 seed, Warren Wilson College out of Ashville, NC.

After a tight game throughout the first half, the Lady Mustangs were finally able to pull away from Warren Wilson, 79-58, to secure the program's first ever USCAA National Tournament Quarterfinal win!  With the win, CM advanced to the national semi-final to take on Berkeley College out of New York City. 

With the pressure at an all-time high and a spot in the national title game on the line, the Lady Mustangs, dug deep defensively, to hold the 2013 national runner-up, to just 22 first-half points.  Clinging to a 10-point halftime lead, CM was able to hold off a late Berkeley charge, and pull out the 56-48 win – sending the Lady Mustangs to their first national title appearance.

The Lady Mustangs entered unchartered territory as the USCAA DII National Championship loomed in front of them.  Only two women's basketball teams from the state of Maine had ever reached a national championship game before (Bowdoin & USM).  CM, which was the only two-year school in the entire tournament field, was matched-up against #2, the University of Cincinnati-Clermont.  After exchanging baskets and leads through most of the first half, the Lady Mustangs found themselves up by 3 going into the locker room at halftime!  After halftime however, CM could not get a bounce and had many open looks at the rim bounce in and out.  Shooting just 20% from the floor in the second half, compared to UCC's 57%, the Lady Mustangs could not hold their lead, and fell to Cincinnati-Clermont, 69-51.   

An amazing season ended for the Lady Mustangs, and although it did not end with the coveted national championship, their many accomplishments will never be forgotten.  They established a new expectation, not only for their program and school, but for Maine college basketball.  The time, effort, and sacrifice that each one of the Lady Mustangs made during this remarkable season will impact this program for decades.

Team Accomplishments:

• 2014 USCAA DII National Runner-Up
• First national tournament national championship appearance in program history
• First national tournament quarterfinal & semifinal win in program history
• 2014 USCAA DII National Tournament #1 seed
• 2014 YSCC Tournament Champions
• 2014 YSCC Regular Season Champions
• First semester team GPA, 3.42

Individual Accomplishments:

• 11/1/13 – Susie French (Greenland, NH), program-record 14 steals in a game (vs. Quinsigamond CC).
• 1/26/14 – Laura Soohey (Bremen, ME), program-record 21 rebounds in a game (vs. Dean College)
• 2/4/14 – Susie French scored her 1,000^th career point, becoming only the 4^th player in program history to reach the milestone.  Susie finished her two years at CM with a total of 1,198 points.
• 2/21/14 – At the Yankee Conference Awards Banquet, Gabby Foy (Wilton, ME) is recognized as 2^nd Team All-Conference; Susie French is recognized as 1^st Team All-Conference & YSCC Player of the Year.
• 2/13/14 – Gabby Foy was named the Yankee Conference Tournament Best Offensive Player, while Susie French was named the tournament's MVP.
• 3/4/14 – Maggie McConkey (Fryeburg, ME), Laura Soohey, and Susie French are recognized by the USCAA as Academic All-Americans.
• 3/4/14 – At the USCAA All-American Banquet, Laura Soohey is recognized as an Honorable Mention All-American; Gabby Foy is recognized as a 2^nd Team All-American; Susie French is recognized as a 1^st Team All-American.
• 3/8/14 – Susie French makes the USCAA DII National Tournament All-Tournament Team.