UNIONTOWN, Penn.—For the second consecutive year, both of the Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) basketball programs received at-large bids to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division 2 National Tournament held for the last time in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The tournament begins Sunday, Mar. 8, following the skills competition and championship awards banquet Saturday, Mar. 7.
Women’s basketball will go as the #5 seed to make their ninth national tournament appearance in program history. The men make their thirteenth national tournament appearance as the #8 seed.
#8 Men’s Basketball vs. #9 Penn State University Wilkes-Barre
Sunday, March 8—4:00 p.m.
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Associate Head Coach AJ Burton states, “It’s really exciting for our guys to be given this opportunity to go and compete in Uniontown. Despite our growing pains as a young team, we have established ourselves in the last few weeks as one of the last remaining teams in the country still playing. As we prepare for our first-round matchup, it is important that our guys understand not to be satisfied just making a national tournament appearance—we want to lay our mark and be the best version of ourselves.”
Scouting the Opposition
The Nittany Lions from Penn State University Wilkes-Barre will enter play sporting a 19-7 overall record, 13-6 in Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) action. The Lions are coming off a one-point conference semifinal loss to Penn State University Mont Alto, eventual conference champions. As a team, Wilkes-Barre scores 77.6 PPG on 45.5 percent shooting and buries the three-pointer at a 34.3 percent clip. The Lions are 9-4 away from their home gym and 1-0 against common opponents, Williamson College of the Trades. Both SMCC and Wilkes-Barre are amongst the most efficient teams on the defensive end, Wilkes-Barre allowing 67.2 PPG. The opposition is led by senior guard Khalil White who puts in 16.3 PPG on 12.5 shot-attempts—he adds 2.6 AST/G and 1.4 STL/G. The backcourt also features senior Kevin Silverberg who averages 10.2 PPG spanning near 23 minutes on the floor.
On the Horizon
Should the SeaWolves advance, they would match up with the #1-seed Johnson & Wales University—Charlotte in the quarterfinal round on Monday, Mar. 9 at 8:00 p.m.
#5 Women’s Basketball vs. #4 University of Cincinnati Clermont
Monday, March 9—12:00 p.m.
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Head Coach Katie Stannard stated, “It’s exciting to be recognized as one of the top teams in the country with an at-large bid—our women have worked hard all year and grown so much as people and players. We have new players stepping up every day and with a lot of different weapons to throw at our opponents, we’re ready to display our depth and versatility!”
Scouting the Opposition
The Cougars from the University of Cincinnati Clermont stand 18-6 on the season, having won seven of their previous nine contests. Clermont is a perfect 10-0 at home, suffering all six defeats on the road. As a team, the Cougars score 73.3 PPG on 40.6 percent shooting and connect on nearly 30 percent from beyond the arc. Junior forward Anna Voskuhl will be atop of Coach Stannard’s scouting report, netting 19.2 PPG (USCAA-5) and pulling down 7.8 REB/G. More than half of Voskuhl’s shot attempts are from three where she delivers 37.4 percent of the time. Four others score in double figures for the Cougars—junior forward Kristi Duncan totals 14.5 PPG on a very efficient 52.8 percent from the floor (USCAA-2).
On the Horizon
Should the Lady SeaWolves advance, they would play the winner of #1 Penn State University Beaver vs. #8 Penn State University Fayette/#9 Andrews University in the semifinal round.
Stay up to date on SMCC’s trip to Uniontown by following SeaWolves Basketball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @SMCCseawolves.
