Uniontown, PA - The Central Maine Community College Women's Basketball team has earned the #2 overall seed in the USCAA National Tournament that begins this weekend on the campus of Penn State Fayette. The Mustangs capped off another stellar season by defeating Southern MAine CC, 74-67 to capture their 4th straight Yankee Small College Conference Tournament Championship. The Mustangs enter the USCAA National Tournament with an overall record of 25-3.
In the first round, CM will play the winner of #7 Johnson & Wales University Charlotte (JWU) and #10 Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (ACPHS).
The Wildcats of JWU defeated the Mustangs in the 2018 USCAA National Championship Game and are a perrenial contender. They advanced to the USCAA Semifinals in 2019 and are lead by senior Ineesha Hankerson. Hankerson has been a part of 61 wins during her JWU career, best in school history. She was the 2018 USCAA National Championships Tournament MVP, and was also named to the 2019 USCAA National Championship all-Tournament Team. She earned 2018 USCAA 2nd Team All-American honors, and followed that up with a 2019 USCAA 1st Team All-American selection. She has scored 1239 points in her career to date, and pulled down 949 rebounds, ranking 1st all-time. Her 116 blocks is also a school record, while her 132 steals is 3rd best in school history. The Wildcats have a plethora of weapons on both sides of the ball, and despite their seed, are a once again a top contender for the title.
The Panthers of ACPHS recently won the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (HVIAC) Tournament Championship to secure an automatic bid to the USCAA National Tournament. They are led by 1,000 point scorer, Emma Webster who averaged 14.3 points per game and Clare Snell who averages 12.4 points per game. CMCC and ACPHS met earlier this year, in November, with the Mustangs coming away with the 96-39 victory in Albany. ACPHS will be joining the YSCC next year.
The Mustangs will take on which ever school advances to the quarterfinals on Monday at 2:00pm in the Main Arena of Penn State Fayette. For those not making the trip to Pennsylvania, all games will be broadcasted on the USCAA website.
