Auburn, ME - It did not take long for CM to find their footing Monday night, and the race was on. The blistering tempo set by the Mustangs flustered the Seawolves, and after a 17-12 first quarter in favor of CM, the lead ballooned to 40-points as the hosts outscored their rival 51-21 over the next two quarters. When the final horn sounded in front of raucous Kirk Hall, it was CM 87, SMCC 53.
The relentless pressure on defense coupled with the relentless attack on offense created havoc, drew fouls, and setup easy transitions points for the Mustangs. Alex Bessey was once again dominant, finishing with 17 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals - once again proving that she is one of the elite players in the conference. Brooke Reynolds shot a ridiculous 10-14 from the floor (71.4%), tallying 21 points and 8 rebounds. Jordyn Reynolds shot 58% from the floor, scoring 15 points and pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds for another double-double. Kristen Huntress played a tremendous defensive game, pressuring SMCC on every possession, but she also connected on two triples, finishing with 10 points.
Head Women's Basketball Coach, Andrew Morong, on the win, "This was a big step in right direction for us, especially with the YSCC Tournament coming up this weekend. However, this performance was not our peak. I think we have better performances in front of us, which will need to happen to win this weekend. I think that everyone stepped up tonight. Whether it was Alex or Brooke dominating almost every possession they were on the court, or our bigs, Jordyn, E, and Jane cleaning up shop in the paint, or Kristen and Hayley with their relentless ball pressure, whoever stepped out on the court for us was on a mission to do whatever they could to help us win. A lot of our players give up starting roles, shot opportunities, minutes, and so much more, for us to be successful, and tonight that really showed. We are certainly going to enjoy this for the next couple of hours, and after a well-deserved day off, we will get back at it Wednesday in preparation for this weekends conference tournament."
Jane Lester, Eraleena Gethers-Hairston, and Hayley Peterson played huge roles off the bench for the Lady Mustangs.
Abigail Ramirez led the Seawolves with a game-high 22 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. The loss sends Southern Maine Community College to an 18-8 record and a 12-4 conference record. The Seawolves will be the #3 seed in the Yankee Conference Tournament this weekend.
With the win CM clinched their second straight undefeated YSCC regular season, earning the #1 seed in this weekends YSCC Tournament in Concord, NH. Their record improves to 26-1 overall, and 16-0 in conference.
