UMA upsets SMCC to move on to the YSCC Championship game
February 20, 2014
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – University of Maine at Augusta sophomore Arreonte Lee (San Antonio, Tex.) picked the perfect time to enter the record books, as her lay-up with 2:33 remaining in regulation gave her 1,000 points and a lead for the Moose, as UMA defeated Southern Maine Community College 75-67 to advance to tomorrow's Yankee Small College Conference Championship game against Central Maine Community College.
Game time is set for 1:00 pm.
Lee needed 27 points to hit the milestone and scored a game-high 30 points in helping head coach Jennifer Laney's team head to the YSCC Championship for the first time in school history.
"I knew how focused our team was heading into this game and they were able to maintain that focus for the entire 40 minutes," Laney said.
The game required all the focus the Moose could muster, as the lead changed hands 16 times. SMCC led 65-64 with 3:22 remaining in regulation but Lee and Plummer kicked in consecutive buckets to give the Moose a three point advantage with just under two minutes to play. The Moose finished by nailing six of their final nine free throws to set the final score.
UMA gutted out the win despite being out-rebounded 46 to 31 and giving up 46 points in the paint.
"Even though SMCC came up big on the boards we still played our game and maintained our pace," Laney said. "We were able to get out into transition as the opportunities came and the players also recognized when we needed to slow down and get into our offensive sets."
Junior Jennifer Lola scored 19 points, shooting 50 percent from behind the arc, while freshman Jamie Plummer scored 17 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
SMCC was led by Maria Veino and Danielle McCusker who scored 17 points each. McCusker scored the Seawolves' lone three pointer. Veino was the only player on either team to hit double-digits in rebounds, with 13.