AUBURN, Maine—The Southern Maine Community College men's basketball team defeated St. Thomas University 63-53 on Saturday, Oct. 22 in the first of a two-game slate at the Can-Am Tournament hosted by Central Maine Community College.

The SeaWolves outscored their opponent by a 12-point margin in the first-half. With 1:48 remaining in the game, St. Thomas pulled within three until SMCC went on a 7-0 run to end the game and secure its first victory of the 2016-17 season.

Junior captain John Morgan (Sanford, Maine) led all scorers with 16 points and seven assists. Head Coach Matt Richards spoke of Morgan's performance, "John showed why he is so valuable to our team. He had a steady performance tonight." First-year Ryan Cloutier (Pelham, N.H.) tallied nine points and grabbed six rebounds in the victory. Sophomore Chase Soares (Falmouth, Mass.) recorded seven points and added five assists.

The difference may be credited to the depth of the SeaWolves bench, scoring 24 compared to St. Thomas' 13.

Richards commented, "Often, these early games are about finding yourself. We struggled with some shot selections and need to take care of the basketball better. However, we can focus on our ability to out rebound them in the second half as the key reason for the win."

View the photo gallery of the game HERE. 

The action continues from Auburn on Sunday, Oct. 23 when SMCC takes on the University of New Brunswick- St. John in another non-conference matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m.

For the latest on SMCC's athletic programs, follow Southern Maine Community College Athletics on Twitter @SMCCseawolves, Instagram smccseawolves, and on Facebook SMCC Seawolves.