SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine—The #6-ranked United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team knocked off the #5-ranked Knights from Central Penn College in an overtime thriller 86-75 on Saturday, Jan. 26.
In a much anticipated showdown between two nationally-ranked teams, this one didn't disappoint. The SMCC men finished on 58.6 percent from the floor in the first half to take a three-point advantage into the locker room. In a game that featured five ties and six lead changes, the SeaWolves held their largest lead of the evening up 11 with 8:51 remaining in the second. The Knights answered on a 9-0 run to fight their way back in as time wore on.
With the game knotted at 71-71 with less than a minute to go in regulation, both teams traded three-pointers to send the game into overtime. Backed by a buzzing home crowd, it was all SMCC in the five minute period. The SeaWolves scored 12, five courtesy of senior captain Atencio Martin (Kittery, Maine), and limited the Knights to just one free-throw.
Sophomore Jacobee Burpee (Manchester, N.H.) had himself a breakout game with 20 points and nine assists on 5-6 from beyond the arc. Senior captain Ryan Cloutier (Pelham, N.H.) recorded his fifth performance of 20 points or better on 11-21 shooting.
Central Penn's immovable force Noah Baylor converted on eight buckets for 22 points in the paint and 15 rebounds. Tyler White made four three-pointers on his way to 15 points and Deon Tabb recorded a double-double with 10 and 10.
View the photo gallery of the game HERE.
The SeaWolves move to 16-3 overall and remain 11-1 in league action. Central Penn slips to 8-10 overall.
The action continues when SMCC travels to the University of Maine at Machias for a Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) matinee on Tuesday, Jan. 29. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
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