Women’s basketball: CMCC pulls away from UMaine-Farmington

AUBURN — The Central Maine Community College women’s basketball team continued its early season dominance.

The defending United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II national champion’s latest victory was by a score of 76-51 over the University of Maine at Farmington, an NCAA Division III school, on Tuesday.

“That’s a very good team, a very athletic team, and they played well, made some shots,” UMaine-Farmington coach Nate Carson said of Central Maine. “… I am proud with the way our girls stuck with it.”

The Mustangs improve to 7-0, with a double-digit margin of victory in all seven games. The game doesn’t count toward the Beavers’ regular season record. They are still 0-2 after a season-opening losses to New England College and Castleton University over the weekend.

Central Maine had three players score in double figures. Former Lewiston standout Emily Strachan led the way with 16 points, while Luna Love scored 15 and Kali Thompson finished with 10.

“I think I played pretty well; I think if we kept going to the rim, (the points) were there,” Thompson, who also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, said. “I think that was the biggest thing because we weren’t shooting as well as we hoped. We kept driving the rim to get the easy bucket.”

Central Maine shot 27 of 72 (37.5%) from the field. The Beavers were 16 of 49 (32.7%).

Maddy White paced the Beavers with 16 points. Jaycie Stevens and Rosalie White added nine points each.

“She plays her (butt) off every minute,” Carson said of the 5-foot-4 Maddy White. “She’s the smallest girl out there getting rebounds and picking pockets.”

The Mustangs got into foul trouble early in the first quarter, including two fouls called on Destiny Mora Lopez in the first two minutes of the game, and the Beavers were in the bonus midway through the first quarter.

UMF jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held Central Maine scoreless for the first 3 minutes, 30 seconds of the opening quarter.

The Beavers remained in the lead throughout the first quarter, but the Mustangs chipped away at the deficit, cutting it down to 13-11 by the end of the first.

“I don’t know what it is about our starts in some of our games, but we have struggled out of the gate; I don’t know why,” CMCC coach Andrew Morong said. “We start five sophomores, who have national championship experience and are incredibly talented, great leaders …”

Elizabeth Barrientos sparked Central Maine early in the second quarter, starting with a layup that tied the game at 13-13.

After Clara Bandh’s 3-pointer put the Mustangs ahead, Barrientos hit another 3 to extend the lead to 19-13.

CMCC’s Elizabeth Barrientos maintains control of the ball as UMF’s Victoria Garand plays defense during Tuesday’s game in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

UMF battled back to within three points, 23-20, after a Maddy White 3-pointer. She and Victoria Garand each had six points for the Beavers in the first half.

“A physical presence, for sure,” Carson said of Garand. “The girls really rally around her.”

Central Maine went on a 10-4 run to end the second quarter for a 33-24 halftime lead. Strachan had four points during that span, while Oxford Hills graduate Jade Smedberg and Thompson each contributed three points.

Thompson said that stretch refocused the Mustangs.

“I think that definitely got us going again,” Thompson said. “We were having highs and lows (to that point), but that definitely got us on track.”

Strachan led the Mustangs with seven points in the opening half.

The Beavers made one final run with eight consecutive points in the middle of the third quarter.

It started with a layup and a free throw by Rosalie White layup that cut CMCC’s lead to 42-33. Maddy White hit another 3 and layup put UMF within four points at 42-38.

Central Maine, though, bounced back, scoring 10 of the final 11 points in the third quarter to take a 52-39 lead into the fourth.

Rayna Duzant score four points for the Mustangs during the 10-1 run.

“I think we responded incredibly well; we had a big run there to end the third and start the fourth,” Morong said. “We put the game out of reach. Suddenly it was a four-point game, and you look up again, it is a 20-point game.”

Central Maine outscored UMF 24-12 in the fourth quarter.

Love scored five of her 15 points in the fourth quarter.