Auburn, ME – CMCC Women's Basketball defeated Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 78-39 at Kirk Hall, earning them an eighth straight Yankee Small College Conference crown. The Mustangs share the honors this season with UMaine-Augusta after both teams posted identical 13-1 records in YSCC play and could not be separated by any of the four tiebreakers. The women's squad has won every YSCC regular season dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
Central Maine knocked off ACPHS in a late-morning matchup on Monday, after the game was rescheduled from the previous weekend. The Mustangs outscored the Panthers in all four quarters, taking a 48-19 lead at halftime and cruising to the win in the second half. All 11 available players for CMCC scored and played at least ten minutes. Ella Lavigne, Ava Smith, Marney Rees, and Jenny Chaput all finished in double digits with Rees posting a double-double.
The hosts led start to finish, putting up 24 points in each of the first two quarters. Chaput started a 19-4 run in the opening ten minutes when she drained a three, followed by back-to-back layups from Farah Attallah. Lavigne, Smith, and Chaput each scored five points in the second, and a patient defense finished the half forcing 21 turnovers.
Albany had a better start after the intermission, at one point going on a 9-2 run in the third quarter. Samantha Howland ended the game with a team-high 11 points for the Panthers followed by Isabella Mancini (8), Emma Russell (7), and Adriana Yuret (7).
In the fourth quarter, six different Mustangs made buckets. Rees finished off her day with two points and four more rebounds giving the sophomore out of Glenelg North, Australia her fourth double-double of the campaign. Cassie Ririnui matched her with a game-high ten rebounds. CMCC ended the game shooting 43.2% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc going only 4-for-22. The Mustangs defense forced 35 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 48 to 22.
Central Maine waits to see who they will host in the first round of the YSCC Tournament. By virtue of their tie atop the standings, CMCC and UMA will have the #1 seed for the postseason determined by a coin flip. All teams are scheduled to have finished their regular seasons after Wednesday, February 19th.
