AUBURN, Maine— The Southern Maine Community College men's basketball team was defeated by Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) rival Central Maine Community College (CMCC) on Wednesday, Dec. 14 by a score of 72-57 in its final game before the holiday break.
In a game with both conference and national ranking implications on the line, sophomore Dylan Silvestri (Pelham, N.H.) led the SeaWolves with 12 points, extending his streak of 10 or more points to seven consecutive games. Sophomore Chase Soares (Falmouth, Mass.) poured in 11 points, adding four assists and five steals in 32 minutes of work.
In front of a buzzing crowd and a strong SMCC fan section, the SeaWolves started the game on a 7-0 run, executing a well-designed offense. The Mustangs answered with a 25-2 run themselves and took a 38-25 advantage into the half.
SMCC cut its deficit to within 10 midway through the second half and again with six minutes remaining, but was unable to find consecutive stops on the defensive end to mount a comeback. CMCC's Pietro Badalassi led all scorers in the game with 18 points and eight rebounds.
In a post-game interview, Head Coach Matt Richards commented, "The annual rivalry game with CMCC always comes down to which team manages the environment better and is able to execute its game plan under the heightened emotions surrounding the game. I thought we executed for 15 minutes—CMCC clearly did a better job in those two areas which led to their win."
View the photo gallery of the game HERE.
The SeaWolves go into the holiday break ranking second in the YSCC North Division standings at 6-2 in conference play and sport a 12-3 record overall.
The action continues in 2017 when the SeaWolves travel to the Community College of Rhode Island for a non-conference contest on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Warwick, R.I.
For the latest on SMCC's athletic programs, log onto GoSMCCSeawolves.com or follow Southern Maine Community College Athletics on Twitter @SMCCseawolves and on Facebook SMCC Seawolves.
