Auburn, ME – CMCC Men's Basketball picked up its eighth win of November with an impressive second half performance against Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, pulling away to a 76-62 victory. The Mustangs led by as many as 25 after halftime on their way to their fourth conference win of the campaign. J.T. Pound posted his third double-double of the season, and Will Duke and Khaden Moore joined him in double digit scoring.
Both teams struggled to find the hoop in the opening minutes, taking 2:45 for the first points to go up on the board. ACPHS took an 8-2 lead before Central Maine found its groove, but when they did, the hosts really took control of the game. CMCC went on a 24-0 run over a seven-minute span and never trailed the rest of the way.
Eight different players scored during that run with Pound, Duke, and Jaden Williams all hitting threes and Sascha Alexeeff, Javion Jacobs, and Alexandre Brigitte finishing in the paint. The Panthers recovered to close within single digits but still went into the locker room down 31-24.
The Mustangs looked fired up after halftime and came out strong, outscoring the visitors 16-8 in the first six minutes to extend the lead. Duke in particular caught fire, scoring 11 straight points for his side including three triples. Free throws from Moore made it 61-37 with 8:03 to play, all but putting the game away.
Coach Dave Gonyea mixed 15 players into the action, including the first appearances for Toni Milevcic and Tim Herbert back from injury. Milevcic scored his first points in his first game in two seasons in Auburn, hitting a jump shot with 1:13 remaining.
Duke's 14 points led CMCC with Moore finishing with 12 and Pound 10. Jacobs and Keiontay Marsh were close behind with nine points each, while Williams and Creighty Dickson had seven apiece. Pound's 13 rebounds helped the Mustangs double up the Panthers on the boards, 50-25. Alex Carrillo led Albany with 18 points while Logan Yohe chipped in 13.
Central Maine heads into the Thanksgiving break with a 9-5 overall record, and now turns its attention to its next opponent, archrival Southern Maine. The Mustangs host the Seawolves on Wednesday, December 3rd. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm as part of a women's and men's doubleheader.
