Fort Kent, ME – CMCC Women's Basketball needed a rare fourth-quarter rally to knock off USCAA D1 opponent and in-state rival UMaine Fort Kent on the road Saturday. The Mustangs outscored the Bengals 26-9 in the final ten minutes to pick up a 75-66 win in their final non-conference matchup of the regular season.
Ella Lavigne had a game-high 23 points and Riley Hebler finished with 22 as Central Maine stormed back from down 11 in the final quarter to take the lead for good with 6:32 remaining. CMCC completed a season sweep of UMFK after beating the Bengals at Kirk Hall back in November.
UMaine Fort Kent ended the first quarter on an 8-3 run to lead 20-14 after ten minutes. Cece Bell had half her team's points to open the game, with Central Maine committing 11 turnovers early after the 11:00 am tip-off time.
A Riley Hebler three-pointer put the visitors in front for the first time with 6:27 left in the first half. Lavigne and Hebler had all 18 points for the Mustangs in the second, shooting a combined 8-of-12 from the field. Once again though, the Bengals ended the quarter stronger, turning a 25-23 deficit into a 39-32 lead heading into the locker room.
UMFK stretched its advantage to a game-high 15 points on a Tobie Yocum three to make it 57-42 with 2:19 left in the third quarter. CMCC answered with seven straight points to make it an eight-point game going into the fourth.
The hosts had the first three points of the final ten-minute stretch to lead 60-49, but that was when the Mustangs comeback kicked into high gear. The #2 ranked team in the USCAA D2 poll flexed its offensive muscle with a blistering 13 points in just two minutes to tie the game at 62-62. Lavigne, Hebler, and Ava Smith combined for 21 points, and UMaine Fort Kent missed five straight shots and turned the ball over three times with the game suddenly turning Central Maine's way.
The Bengals took a full timeout with 2:09 remaining, suddenly down 72-62. Lavigne capped her performance with one last layup in the final minute to seal a come-from-behind 75-66 victory thanks to a 26-9 fourth quarter.
CMCC ultimately shot better from the field (42.9% to 37.5%) and won the rebound battle (40 to 35) but committed 21 turnovers before their late rally. The Mustangs now sit at 23-1 overall heading into the final week of the regular season.
Next up, Central Maine takes on archrival Southern Maine on Wednesday, February 12th. The Mustangs and Seawolves tip-off a doubleheader of highly anticipated games at 6:00 pm at Kirk Hall.
