South Portland - Last night the Lady Seawolves played their final home game of the regular season and point guard Tiana Burton (Brunswick, ME) made sure her last time playing in HUB gymnasium was a special one. Burton came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points, including four made shots from beyond the arc, to lift the Seawolves over the Mustangs, 81-67. This was SMCC's first victory over CMCC since the first semester of the 2011-12 season.
In the first half the Mustangs stuggled to find the hoop, shooting only 28% from the floor and not connecting on any of their shots from downtown. The Seawolves on the other hand shot 48% from the floor, 13-27, which included five made three pointers, three from Burton, one from defensive specialist Katherine Cyr (Springfield, MA) and one from shooting guard Samantha Griffin (Union, ME). The Lady Seawolves were also able to outrebound the Mustangs 24-13 in first half action, but the Seawolves' 15 turnovers kept the game within the Mustangs reach, 42-28 at the break.
The Lady Seawolves opened the second half with a 12-4 run over the first five minutes, with post players Amira Jones (Chicopee, MA) and Maria Veino (Sanford, ME) each scoring four points during the run. The Mustangs fought their way back and four consecutive made free throws at the nine minute mark by Gabby Foy and Laura Soohey slashed the lead to ten points, 61-51. Burton put an end to the run when she drained her fourth three pointer and then she and Veino went on a run of their own, rattling off eleven points between the two to balloon the Seawolves lead back to 17. The Mustangs were able to close the gap back to 12 but it was the closest they would come as the Seawolves cruised to the 81-67 victory.
Burton was the Seawolves' leader but she recieved a lot of help from her teammates. Veino added 14 points and nine rebounds while Cyr and Jones each pitched in with 10 points. Jones also added 10 rebounds to pick up the double-double. Alicia Hoyt (Steep Falls, ME) came up with eight points, eight rebounds and three huge blocks and point guard Jordan Turner (Casco, ME) led the team in assists with six. The Lady Seawolves bench outscored the Mustangs' bench 52-23 on the evening.
Leading the Mustangs were Foy who netted 21 and Soohey who had an impressive stat line with 13 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks.
The Lady Seawolves will wrap up regular season play on the road on Saturday when they travel to Vermont Technical College for a 1pm game.
Southern Maine Community College empowers students to respond to a changing world and enhances economic and cultural development in Southern Maine by providing a variety of educational opportunities and partnerships.
