Open Season

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — In a season-opening thriller, the Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team outlasted Massasoit Community College in overtime on Saturday afternoon at The HUB.

SUMMARY:

SMCC put five in double figures and closed on a 12–4 run in OT. Sean Bosia (Dracut, Mass.) paced the Seawolves with 16 points, 7 assists, 4 steals and a block, while Nathan Mugisha (Westbrook, Maine) turned in a well rounded line with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and a block. Ellis Macea (Lawrence, Mass.) added 14 points—while Chance Mercier (Ellsworth, Maine) provided 14 points and timely finishes at the rim. Sam DeWitt (Hudson, N.H.) tallied on 10 points and 5 assists, and Jace Bessey (Jay, Maine) delivered 9 off the bench.

The Seawolves shot 50.7% from the field and went a perfect 11-for-11 at the stripe, handing out 26 assists on 38 makes with 14 steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Massasoit surged to a 30–19 lead inside eight minutes, but SMCC's bench flipped the script: Bessey buried a three, Bosia and DeWitt attacked downhill, and Franck Moron (Billerica, Mass.) splashed a late triple to help the Seawolves take a 42–39 halftime edge.

SMCC struck first after the break—Bosia's steal-and-dunk followed by a layup made it 47–39—and the teams traded blows the rest of regulation. With 1:38 left, a Worriers three nudged the visitors ahead 77–76, but Mugisha calmly canned two free throws for the lead and DeWitt added two more to make it 82–77 seconds left on the clock. Massasoit answered and forced overtime.

The extra session belonged to the Seawolves. Mercier hit two quick shots to keep SMCC in front. Mugisha rose over a defender at 2:25 and then found Macea for a momentum layup at 1:58. After consecutive stops, Bosia hit Mercier in stride for the dagger with 19 seconds left on the clock, sealing the win.

NEXT UP:

SMCC (1–0) will take on the Cougars of Holyoke tomorrow Sunday November 2^nd. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30PM at The HUB.