AUBURN — It was the kind of defensive effort needed at that moment.

Trailing by one, the Central Maine Community College women’s basketball team needed a stop in the final minute. The Mustangs seemingly had just that with Taylor Boucher trapped in the right corner and the shot clock ticking down to its final seconds.

The junior forward from the University of Maine at Fort Kent wasn’t completely stymied though. She found daylight along the baseline for a shot. It not only swished through the net but dashed the comeback hopes of the Mustangs.

CMCC never got any closer in a 78-74 loss to the Bengals at Kirk Hall.

“That was unfortunate,” said CMCC coach Andrew Morong. “The shot clock was winding down. We have to give them all the credit. They knocked down a shot when they needed to.”

UMFK got free throws from Jenn Colpitts and Kayla Richards in the final minute to pad the lead. CMCC had a pair of turnovers, including on a possession that still gave them a chance to tie, down three.

“We took a lot of shots in practice,” said UMFK coach Bradley Holabird. “We’re coming off a very short schedule of practice. Coming into a great but hostile environment here and pulling out a win, we feel very fortunate.”

The Bengals (1-0) sank 27 free throws in the game,  including 23 in the second half. CMCC was plagued by turnovers and fouls in the second half and UMFK did damage at the foul line, hitting 23-of-29 in the second half. Colpitts had 14 of her team-high 18 from the line.

“Our free throws came through down the stretch,” said Holabird. “We take a lot of pride in those. “

 Boucher finished with 17 points while Ericka Christensen added 15 points and 17 rebounds. CMCC got 26 points and 10 rebounds from Maggie Sabine and 25 points from Susie French. Nohemy Aguila added 11.

“We didn’t execute defensively,” said Morong. “Our whole game is based on our halfcourt man-to-man defense. We did not execute that today. They came into our building and flat out-worked us. They got all the loose balls. They outrebounded us. We’re going to loose if that becomes a pattern.”

CMCC (5-2) trailed by as many as six in the first half but were within 37-36 at halftime. The Mustangs opened the second half with a 7-1 run that opened their largest lead of the game, 44-37.

UMFK answered that with 15 straight, many coming from the free throw line, to build a 52-44 lead. CMCC finished with 23 total fouls.

“Credit to them, a big part of games is how you come out in the second half,” said Holabird. “They punched first and fortunately we were able to answer back.”

French had 14 of her points over the final 11 minutes to keep CMCC close. The Mustangs even took the lead when Sabine scored from Ariel McConkey off a steal with 6:20 left. Colpitts answered with a three-point play and the Bengals never trailed again.

“Give them all the credit, they went to the foul line and knocked down the shots,” said Morong. “They outrebounded us and executed. When we did turn on the pressure, they kept their cool. They owned their area. They made solid passes and got good looks.”

Some nice ball movement set up a crucial Boucher 3 with 4:34 left to make it 69-64. Christensen added one from the line for a six-point lead. A pair of free throws by Sabine and French late trimmed it to 73-72 and had the Mustangs sensing momentum. Then Boucher hit her baseline shot, and CMCC couldn’t match that.

“It was a lack of execution,” said Morong of his team’s offense. “We looked scared at times and looked timid. That’s not like us. It’s just a funk, and we’ve got to find a way to get out of it.”

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