Battle to the Rim: Seawolves Fall to Moose 74-73
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men’s basketball team fell 74–73 to the University of Maine–Augusta on Wednesday night in a back-and-forth battle at the Augusta Civic Center. Despite four players scoring in double figures and a late push in the final minute, the Seawolves came up just one point short on the road.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
31 | 42 | 73 |
|
|
32 | 42 | 74 |
Team Stats
University of Maine-Augusta
| Game Statistics | Southern Maine CC | University of Maine-Augusta |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (22-59) | (26-63) |
| Field Goal % | 37.3% | 41.3% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 40 |
| Assists | 10 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 23 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 23 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 20 |
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team fell 74–73 to the University of Maine–Augusta on Wednesday night in a back-and-forth battle at the Augusta Civic Center. Despite four players scoring in double figures and a late push in the final minute, the Seawolves came up just one point short on the road.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening half was tight from the jump, with neither team leading by more than five. Ellis Macea (Lawrence, Mass.) set the tone on the glass early, grabbing three offensive rebounds and scoring inside to keep the Seawolves even. UMA answered with shooting from the perimeter, carrying a narrow 32–31 lead into halftime.
The second half turned into a fast-paced battle. UMA connected on a pair of threes to push the margin to five, but Jace Bessey (Jay, Maine) caught fire—drilling two threes of his own and attacking the rim for an and-one that pulled SMCC back within one.
Midway through the half, Nathan Mugisha (Rwanda, East Africa) powered SMCC's offense with a run of strong drives and putbacks, contributing seven of his 15 points after the break while also cleaning up the glass. His finish through contact cut the deficit to 66–64 with under four minutes to play.
In the final minute, Sam DeWitt (Hudson, N.H.) knocked down two free throws to keep the Seawolves within a single possession but UMA responded with makes at the line.Trailing 74–70 with :10 left, DeWitt drove hard to the rim for a layup, and after a quick foul, UMA missed the front end—giving SMCC one final chance.
Out of a timeout, the Seawolves advanced the ball quickly to Bessey, who got downhill for a clean attempt at the rim, but the layup narrowly rolled off as time expired, sealing the one-point loss.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 17 points, 12 rebounds — Ellis Macea, his first double-double of the season.
- 15 points, 9 rebounds — Nathan Mugisha, narrowly missing a second straight double-double.
- 15 points — Jace Bessey, including 2-for-4 from three and 5-for-6 at the line.
- 12 points, 7 assists — Sam DeWitt, who went 8-for-10 at the stripe.
- 7 rebounds, 3 steals — Sean Bosia (Dracut, Mass.).
- 42 total rebounds for SMCC, including 9 offensive boards.
- 25-for-33 (75.8%) at the free-throw line.
- Game featured 3 technical fouls on UMA (Bettis, Chang, Tewogbade).
NEXT UP
SMCC (3–1) returns home for another conference matchup on Saturday, November 15, hosting Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at 3:00 PM inside The HUB.