Women's Basketball heading to Albany, NY for weekend double-header

Women's Basketball heading to Albany, NY for weekend double-header

Auburn, ME - The Central Maine Women's Basketball team heads to Albany, NY this weekend for a pair of games, both with national ranking implications.  On Saturday, the Lady Mustangs will take on the Vikings of Villa Maria College (Buffalo, NY) at 5:00pm at Sage College in Albany.  On Sunday, CM will take on the Panthers of Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (ACPHS) at 1:00pm.  All three teams participated in the USCAA DII National Tournament last season.  Villa Maria made it to the semi-finals, while ACPHS fell in the quarterfinals.  Both teams lost to Penn State Lehigh Valley, the team CM defeated in the national championship game.  This will be the first match-up in program history for the Mustangs with either school.

Head Women's Basketball Coach, Andrew Morong, on the weekend trip, "We are very fortunate to be able to make this trip and are really looking forward to the level of competition.  Both teams have returning First Team All-Americans, both of whom should get that award again this year and be considered for National Player of the Year.  These are the type of games that help us prepare for tournament time, and we are looking forward to the challenge."

Date:  Saturday, January 27th, 5:00pm
Location:  Sage College (Albany, NY)
Opponent:  Villa Maria College
Mascot:  Vikings
Current Record:  15-4
National Ranking:  #6
Top Contributers
Shaquana Owens (jr) - 24.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 8.1 assists per game (2017 USCAA 1st Team All-American, last week's USCAA DII National Player of the Week)
Bianca Brown (so) - 18.6 points, 6.5 rebounds per game
Nina Cray (so) - 11.3 points, 12 rebounds per game

Coach Morong's comments about the Vikings, "Owens basically averages a triple-double, but they are far more than just her.  They have length, speed, and quickness and like to get up and down the floor.  They can put a lot of points up on the board, so we will need to be disciplined and focused on defense.  If we try roll the ball out and out-score them, we are in for a long night."

Date:  Sunday, January 28th, 1:00pm
Location:  Albert M. White Gymnasium, ACPHS
Opponent:  Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Mascot:  Panthers
Current Record:  4-9
National Ranking:  NR
Top Contributors:
Dannie Griffin (sr) - 15.8 points, 16.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2 blocks per game (2017 USCAA 1st Team All-American)

Coach Morong's comments on ACPHS, "Griffin is the best post player we've seen since our Navy Prep game back in early-November.  She will challenge each one of our bigs on every shot attempt and every time she touches the ball.  I honestly believe that this team is far better than their record indicates, and we are not taking them lightly."

Upon returning Sunday, the Lady Mustangs will have just 1 day off before hosting USCAA #2 UMaine-Augusta in a crucial YSCC matchup on Tuesday.