Fort Kent, ME – CMCC Men's Basketball led the UMaine-Fort Kent for nearly the entire game but could not hold off the Bengals in the final minutes, dropping their second contest in as many days to the USCAA DI side. Deandre Johnson gave the hosts their first lead with 5:36 to play on their way to an 83-78 win. Khaden Moore and J.T. Pound both had 20+ point games for the Mustangs in defeat.
"This weekend was a learning experience for our team, particularly in understanding the effects of travel on performance," said head coach Dave Gonyea. "We played two games in two days on the road after a five-hour bus trip. While we rotated a number of players, our shots didn't fall late. Our defense kept us competitive throughout, but we couldn't close out either game. We look onward and will get ready for our upcoming conference road trip."
Central Maine was looking to avenge Friday night's heartbreaking loss when their second-half comeback fell just short. On Saturday afternoon, they jumped out to the lead on their opening possession when Moore laid the ball in. Baskets by Pound, Creighty Dickson, and Tim Herbet helped build a double-digit lead midway through the opening 20 minutes.
Sascha Alexeeff made it 27-16 with 5:31 left in the half, and Moore continued to impress with 16 points before the break. Dickson knocked down a triple with three seconds left to give the visitors a 38-27 advantage heading back to the locker room.
The Bengals began to chip away at the lead in the second half. Sam Williams scored nine points in the first three minutes to cut the deficit to 45-39. However, Keiontay Marsh capped a mini 9-4 run with a layup to extend it back to 55-45.
UMaine-Fort Kent continued to hang around behind the strength of their three-point shooting. After going just 2-for-14 from beyond the arc in the first half, they made nine triples in the final 20 minutes. Threes from Johnson and Williams kept it close with under ten minutes to go in the game.
Then came the breakthrough. A 14-2 run in a span of 2:35 turned a 65-57 lead for CMCC into a 71-67 advantage for UMFK. The Mustangs refused to fold though and drew level with buckets from Ryan White and Pound. A Pound and-one layup made it 74-74 with 1:37 left on the clock. However, Williams answered with a three-pointer on the next possession to give the Bengals the lead for good. The hosts hit their free throws in the final minute, going for 6-for-8 from the line to seal the victory.
Central Maine shot better from the field overall (50.7% compared to 46.7%) but fell short after hitting only three triples compared to UMaine-Fort Kent's 11. CMCC had an advantage on the boards, winning the rebound battle 38-22, but turned the ball over 15 times. Moore finished with 25 points to lead the Mustangs with Pound scoring 20 points. Both had seven rebounds. Williams paced the Bengals with a game-high 34 points while also dealing out six assists. The home team has now won each of the three meetings between the two squads this season.
The Mustangs now enter an important stretch, returning to Yankee Small College Conference play this week with a road trip. CMCC plays four games in four days, starting with a visit to Word of Life on Tuesday before facing Paul Smith's, VTSU-Randolph, and ACPHS over the rest of the week. Central Maine remains in first place in the conference standings with an 8-0 YSCC record.
