Lady Wolves Use Big Third Quarter To Conquer Knights

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine—The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) women's basketball team snapped Berkeley College's two-game win streak topping the Knights 65-51 in a matinee at The HUB on Saturday, Jan. 20.

Berkeley outscored SMCC by a nine point margin through one quarter of action, but the SeaWolves would lead going into the half 31-29 despite 17 points from Ayana Ratliff—who leads all United States College Athletic Association (USCAA) Division II players in scoring.

SMCC came out of the break on a mission posting 23 points fueled by co-captain Alicia Ruth's (Plaistow, N.H.) perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc; on the other end limiting the Knights to a mere seven. This the separation SMCC maintained to the finish line.

The SeaWolves connected on 24 of 58 shots (41.6 percent) and dominated the rebounding category pulling down 53 in total—compared to Berkeley's 27.9 percent and 32 rebounds.

SMCC was led by Ruth who finished with 20 points on 6-12 from downtown and first-year Amanda Brett (Portland, Maine) also a contributor of 20 with a game-high 15 rebounds. Junior Jordan Farquharson (Ryegate, Vt.) amassed double-digits with 10 points as point guard Abigail Ramirez (Methuen, Mass.) dished six assists and added nine boards.

The Knights were paced by Ratliff as the standout scored 26 points in 37 minutes before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Head Coach Katie Bergeron reflected, "We were burdened with early foul trouble and had to rely on some new players in the first half, but I couldn't be happier with yet another team effort. Ally, Jordan, Hogan, and Keene all played pivotal minutes and were wonderful leaders. Emerson and Julianna faced the toughest defensive matchup they'll have all year and did an excellent job. Overall everyone played their role and stepped up when called upon."

SMCC improves to 9-2 at The HUB and 14-5 on the season. Berkeley, a Hudson Valley Conference affiliate, slips to 4-7 overall.

The Lady SeaWolves will look to keep their five-game win streak alive when they travel to the Community College of Rhode Island tomorrow Jan. 21 on the end of a back-to-back. Start-time for the contest is set for 1 p.m.

For the latest on SMCC's athletic programs, log onto GoSMCCSeawolves.com or follow Southern Maine Community College Athletics on Twitter @SMCCseawolves and on FacebookSMCC Seawolves.