SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (YSCC) --Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) Elite 8 favorite, and top seed Central Maine Community College (CMCC) took to the hardwood in a championship matchup vs #3 seed New Hampshire Technical College (NHTI) Sunday afternoon.
After an even first quarter, CMCC went on an 8-0 run that stretched for a large portion of the second quarter. The Mustangs defense allowed only six NHTI second quarter points, outscoring the Lynx 17-6.
The second half saw more Mustang domination. CMCC's length underneath the basket proved to be a large advantage, as they outscored the Lynx 32-18 inside the paint.
NHTI had trouble finding the basket at times and finished shooting just 27.9% from the floor, while CMCC shot an efficient 49.1% from the field.
Mustangs First-Team All-YSCC selection Brooke Reynolds (Poland, ME) put on another spectacular performance, with a game-high 21 points. Reynolds would go on to win Most Valuable Player of the YSCC Elite 8 Tourney.
The Mustangs were able to limit the explosive presence of Riselly Deoleo (Manchester, NH) to just 14 points. Deoleo finished with a double-double as she snagged ten boards. Deoleo took home the Women' Elite 8 Tournament Offensive Player Award. Central Maine earns an automatic bid to the USCAA National Championship. NHTI will have to stay tuned for the release of the at-large bid on Tuesday, Feb. 21.