RANDOLPH, Vt. – No. 5 seed Central Maine Community College reached the championship game of the Yankee Small College Conference with a 55-53 victory over No. 1 New Hampsire Technical Institute.

Tyler Smithgall led the way for the Mustangs (15-11) with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Dave LaBonte added 13 points and Cam Angell had 12. Kevin Auguste led NHTI with 14 points.

CMCC, which had lost two regular-season matchups with NHTI (22-5), will face rival Southern Maine CC for the championship this afternoon.

UNE 90, Colby-Sawyer 78

BIDDEFORD – Johnnie Jefferson matched his career high with 33 points, and Jaykyri Simpson supported with 25 points to push the University of New England to a 90-78 victory over Colby-Sawyer.

A layup by Isaac Stickney of Rumford gave the Nor’easters (14-9) their largest lead of the contest at 45-29 just before intermission.

The Chargers (12-9) had five palyers in double digits, including Andrew Cousin with a team-high 16 points.

RIC 79, USM 72

GORHAM – Junior guard Tirrell Hill drained four 3-pointers and scored 18 points to lead three players in double-figures for the Anchormen (18-5) as Rhode Island College held off the Southern Maine for a 79-72 victory.

Senior forward Drew Coppenrath led all scorers with 23 points on an outstanding 10-for-15 mark from the field for the Huskies (12-11), while senior forward Jamaal Caterina notched his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Colby 71, Tufts 68

WATERVILLE – Adam Choice notched 18 of his game-high 27 points in the first half to lead Colby to a 71-68 victory over Tufts.

Senior captain Mark Gaudet, playing in his final home game for the White Mules (13-11), added 19 points.

Jake Weitzen had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Jumbos (11-13).

UMF 79, Thomas 43

WATERVILLE – Isaac Hutchinson led the Beavers (11-12) with 11 points as the University of Maine at Farmington spread the wealth in a 79-43 triumph over Thomas College.

The Terriers (9-14) trailed 36-16 at halftime, and failed to improve their situation in the second half as Andrew Duncanson provided the bulk of their offense with 21 points.

Bates 65, Bowdoin 62

BRUNSWICK – Bates College scored the final seven points of the game, rallying from a four-point deficit with 24 seconds left to take a 65-62 victory over Bowdoin in the regular season finale for both teams.

Chris Wilson, who led all scorers with 20 points, drove to the hoop and nailed a runing jumper from the right side with less than 10 seconds to go for the Bobcats (17-7).

Andrew Hippert scored 13 points in the first half to put the Polar Bears (19-5) up 40-30 at intermission, but missed a last chance 3-pointer at the final buzzer, and closed the game with 15 points.

Women’s basketball

Bates 62, Bowdoin 52

LEWISTON – Val Beckwith scored 13 points, including to 1,000th of her career, to help lead Bates to a 62-52 victory over Bowdoin, its first win over the rival Polar Bears in two years.

Matia Kostakis scored a season-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Bobcats (15-9), which led wire-to-wire. Katie Bergeron scored 15 points for Bowdoin, while Alexa Kaubris had 11 points.

The same two teams will meet next weekend in the opening round of the NESCAC championships in a women’s-men’s doubleheader.

NHTI 66, CMCC 64

RANDOLPH, Vt. – Center Jen Roy had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the New Hampshire Technical Institute to a 66-64 victory over Central Maine Community College in the Yankee Small College Conference semifinals.

The Mustangs (12-6) galloped to a 33-31 halftime lead, but came up a nose short at the finish line. Senior guard and team captain, Tiffany Seams, collected a game-high 18 point for the Mustangs.

Thomas 70, UMF 67

WATERVILLE – Leah McNary scored a game-high 16 points to lead Thomas College to a 70-67 victory over the University of Maine at Farmington.

The Terriers (9-10) led 35-26 at halftime, helped by a strong performance from senior guard, Karen Demers, who recorded 13 points in the first half. Cortney Barrett of Monmouth contributed 13 points in the winning effort.

Ashley Busque led the Beavers (10-11) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Farmington shot a perfect 11-of-11 from the line in the second half, but it was not enough.

USM 70, RIC 51

GORHAM – Junior Stacey Kent was three assists shy of a triple-double, scoring 18 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out seven assists to lead the Southern Maine to a 70-51 win over the Rhode Island College Anchormen (12-10).

Senior forward Angela Santa Fe came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points for the Huskies (21-2), while senior forward Josalee Danieli of New Gloucester pitched in with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Tufts 84, Colby 60

MEDFORD, Mass. – Khalilah Ummah scored a team-high 17 points in a well balanced attack for the Jumbos (21-2) as Tufts stomped off with an 84-60 win over Colby.

Katie McCabe finished with a game-high 20 points for the Mules (8-15), including 12-for-16 from the line, and nine rebounds. Meredith Aronson chipped in with 14 points.