Sixes: Seawolves Handle Holyoke on the Road

HOLYOKE, Mass. — The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team earned its 6^th straight win of the season with a 73-58 road victory over Holyoke Community College on Saturday, Jan. 18. First-year guard Chance Mercier (Ellsworth, Maine) led all scorers with a 31-point performance.

HOW IT HAPPENED

SMCC came out strong, building an early lead with efficient scoring and active defense. A pair of early threes from Mercier and a fast-break jumper by Ellis Macea (Lawrence, Mass.) helped the Seawolves open a 12-5 advantage just minutes in.

The Seawolves continued to push the pace, getting contributions from Jace Bessey (Jay, Maine) and Ben Mullett (Hudson, N.H.), while the defense held Holyoke to just 23 first-half points. SMCC entered halftime up 41-23.

Holyoke attempted to claw back in the second half behind a 23-point effort from Dylan Rohan, but SMCC countered each attempt to close the deficit. Mercier poured in 13 second-half points, including multiple finishes at the rim, to put the game out of reach. SMCC's depth and rebounding sealed the deal down the stretch.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 31 points – Chance Mercier (13-18 FG, 3 REB, 2 STL)
• 12 rebounds, 2 blocks – Sean Bosia (Dracut, Mass.)
• 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2-2 FT – Nathan Mugisha (Rwanda, East Africa)
• 8 points – Jace Bessey
• SMCC out-rebounded Holyoke 37-30 and scored 16 points off turnovers
• The Seawolves shot 40% from the field and 72.7% at the line

NEXT UP

The Seawolves (13-5, 4-5 YSCC) return home in a conference matchup against UMA at 8PM on Wednesday January 21.