PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball DII Quarter-Final Game

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team returns to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division II National Tournament after a one-year hiatus. The SeaWolves received an automatic bid and the fifth seed after winning the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) tournament. SMCC will match up with #4 Penn State University Greater Allegheny on Thursday, Mar. 2 in the quarter-final round inside the Maltho Gymnasium on the campus of Penn State University Fayette. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.

All-Time Series vs. Greater Allegheny
The SMCC men are perfect against Greater Allegheny, winning their first and only meeting 96-92 just a season ago.

Results
11/4/15            Home              W, 96-92

Scouting the Opposition
Greater Allegheny was crowned Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) champions this 2016-17 season finishing 14-2 in conference play and 22-5 overall—earning an automatic bid to the big dance. Selected PSUAC First-Team All-Conference, junior forward Curtis Newby leads the Lions in scoring and rebounding averaging a double-double in 14.7 points and 10.6 rebounds spanning 26 games this season. As the result of a balanced attack, Greater Allegheny lands three others in double-digit scoring. The Lions will showcase some size in their front court in 6'10'' sophomore George Prota. As a team, Greater Allegheny nets 77.1 points per game and shoots 31.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Lions are 4-0 at neutral sites this season and will put a six-game winning streak on the line on Thursday.

Leading the Way
The SeaWolves are led by captain John Morgan (Sanford, Maine) who recently added YSCC Player of the Year and YSCC Elite Eight Tournament Most Valuable Player last weekend to his already impressive resume. Morgan leads SMCC in scoring averaging 16.4 points per game while shooting a near 55 percent from the floor. Sophomore Dylan Silvestri (Pelham, N.H.) comes off the bench for the SeaWolves averaging 12.3 points per game in just 14.1 minutes per game—this sixth man leads his squad in rebounding pulling down 6.6 per game. Fellow sophomore Chase Soares (Falmouth, Mass.) is coming off a productive YSCC tournament in which he totaled 55 points, making 12-23 from beyond the arc.

The winner of this game will advance to the semi-final round and take on the winner of #8 Villa Maria College/#9 Andrews University vs. #1 Berkeley College on Friday, Mar. 3 at 5:00 p.m. in the Main Arena.

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