Auburn, ME – A team has to play for forty minutes to win a college basketball game.  CM played twenty strong first half minutes tonight, let up a bit in the second half, but hung to capture a 91-80 win over New Hampshire Technical Institute at cozy Kirk Hall.  A great team effort, balanced scoring, and solid floor leadership from point guard Corey David paved the way to victory.

In front of the loud Mustang faithful, the squad jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first seven minutes. Clutch shooting (54%) for the half and strong interior defense stretched the lead to twenty-six points.   A run by the Lynx cut the lead to thirteen points.  CM went to the locker room with a 49-36 advantage.

The second half was a different game.  In fact, the Lynx outscored the home team 44-42.   J'Quavious Thurmond and Nassir Coleman led the comeback and cut the lead to seven points in the middle of the half.  A clutch three by Mark McDonald (8-16 shooting, 19 points, 3 rebound, 3 assists,) and strong offensive/defensive play by Saikwon Williams (8-10 shooting, 9 rebound, 25 points,) brought the lead back to double digits. 

Important free throws by Williams (9-10 at the line) sealed the contest. 

The stat line doesn't tell the whole story. CM played hard, ran the floor, and fed of the crowd.  Bench play was solid with Josh Thomson and Malik Farley playing some big minutes.  Matt Attard also hit for 11 points off the bench.

AJ Cunningham made a solid contribution with 12 points, and 6 rebounds.

The Mustangs host Great Bay Community College on Saturday at 3pm and Bryan Stratton Sunday at 1pm.