From the Jump: Seawolves Top Holyoke

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team picked up its second straight win to open the season, defeating Holyoke Community College 77–59 on Sunday afternoon at The HUB behind a balanced offensive effort and solid team defense.

HOW IT HAPPENED

SMCC set the tone immediately when Nathan Mugisha (Rwanda, East Africa) drilled a three on the opening possession, sparking a 15–1 run that featured two triples from Sam DeWitt (Hudson, N.H.) and strong interior play from Ellis Macea (Lawrence, Mass.). Macea piled up early points in the midrange while helping the Seawolves control the glass.

Holyoke briefly trimmed the margin to single digits, but the Seawolves responded through their depth. Ebe Efosa-Aguobor (Lawrence, Mass.) added back-to-back buckets off the bench, Josh Jones (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) finished in transition, and Chance Mercier (Ellsworth, Maine) continued his efficient start to the year with multiple drives to the rim. SMCC carried a 33–20 lead into the half after a final defensive stop.

The Seawolves kept their foot on the gas in the second half. Mercier opened the scoring with a jumper before Macea scored on consecutive strong takes to push the lead to 59–37 with just over seven minutes left. SMCC's defensive pressure forced turnovers throughout the period, and the bench again delivered: Billy Birks (Portland, Maine) buried a corner three, Jace Bessey (Jay, Maine) slashed to the basket for two, and Romain Muhirwa (Westbrook, Maine) and Emil Hernandez (South Portland, Maine) sealed the win with late paint touches. Hernandez scored twice inside the final two minutes as SMCC closed out the 18-point victory.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 18 – Points for Ellis Macea, leading all scorers on 8-of-14 shooting with 6 rebounds.
• 13 – Points for Chance Mercier, along with 3 rebounds and multiple key drives.
• 10 – Points from first-year guard Ebe Efosa-Aguobor, providing a major spark off the bench.
• 10 – Points and 4 assists for Sam DeWitt, including two early threes.
• 22 – Turnovers forced by the SMCC defense.
• 19 – Team assists on 33 made field goals.
• 45.8% shooting from the floor.

NEXT UP

SMCC (2–0, 0–0 YSCC) returns home next Sunday, November 9, to take on Washington County Community College at 3 p.m. at The HUB.