AUBURN, Maine—  The Southern Maine Community College women's basketball team was defeated by Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) rival Central Maine Community College (CMCC) on Wednesday, Dec. 14 by a 15-point margin, 71-56.

This much anticipated match-up between the top two nationally ranked teams of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) did not disappoint as the atmosphere inside Kirk Hall was electric from tip-off.

First-year Alicia Ruth (Plaistow, N.H.) led the SeaWolves with 17 points, shooting a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe and 3-9 from beyond the arch. Head Coach Katie Bergeron stated, "Ruth has made quite the reputation for herself by her shooting ability—no matter who is guarding her, she finds a way to score." Sophomore Alexis Antonacci (Long Island, N.Y.) posted a season-high 15 points in the game, adding three assists and making nine of 10 from the free-throw line. First-year Kaylah Abdul (South Berwick, Maine) recorded five steals, and senior Jennifer Conrad (Monmouth, Maine) contributed with six points before leaving the game with injury.

Trailing by 12 points early in the third quarter, the SeaWolves cut their deficit to three near the end of the quarter. The Mustangs strung together a 14-0 run to begin the fourth quarter, a lead that proved to be too much in SMCC's attempt to mount a comeback. CMCC's Brooke Reynolds led all scorers with 22 points on her way to a double-double.

Bergeron commented on her team's efforts, "Although we didn't get the result we wanted, I was proud of the way the girls responded to adversity during the game—carrying themselves with class the entire game. Our point guards, Antonacci and Abdul, handled the opposition's pressure well to get the looks we wanted that unfortunately didn't fall. We learned a lot about our competition and are looking forward to resting and coming back strong after the holiday break!"

View the photo gallery of the game HERE.

SMCC now stands a game back of first place in the YSCC North Division standings at 7-1 in conference play, and 13-1 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 1 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.