Auburn, ME – CMCC Men's Basketball suffered a stunning defeat in its home opener, losing 70-67 to Kennebec Valley Community College. The Lynx took their first lead with under five minutes to go and made a defensive stand on the final possession to keep the Mustangs from getting off a shot with a chance to tie. It was KVCC's first win for their revamped program, in their debut game.
Sophomore Khaden Moore led all CMCC with 21 points. The USCAA 2nd-Team All-American also grabbed six rebounds and collected two steals. He was followed by Windham, ME native Creighty Dickson and Freeport High School product J.T. Pound, who each scored nine points.
KVCC relied heavily on its starters, getting double-digit performances out of Isaac Redding, Isaac Codio, and Lawrence High School duo Dane Zawistowski and Zeb Hannah. The 6'8" Hannah paced his side with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Mustangs added the Lynx to their schedule late, giving KVCC a chance to play a varsity game in October. The hosts raced out to a 12-4 lead in the opening five minutes with four different players making baskets. The lead grew to 12 points, up 26-14, with eight minutes left in the first half, but that was the largest deficit the visitors would face. Kennebec Valley pulled to within seven at the break after a dunk by Codio.
Central Maine held its opponent at arm's length early in the second half with a pair of layups by Ryan White and five points from Dickson but could never get its advantage back to double figures. A 7-0 run culminated with a three-pointer by Cody Maddox to bring the score to 55-54, and Tyrieke Sterile tied the game at 57-57 a possession later with a three of his own.
Redding's and-one layup gave the Lynx their first lead up 60-59, as the Mustangs' offense stalled, scoring only seven points in the game's final five minutes. Dickson, Moore, and Will Duke ended a scoring drought with back-to-back-to-back layups tying the game at 65-65 with two minutes to go and swinging momentum back to the home side. When Moore laid the ball up and in for a 67-65 lead, it appeared Central Maine had taken control back.
However, KVCC head coach Matthew Kenna's team belied its inexperience, hitting a three from Codio on the next possession to retake the lead for good. Zawistowski hit a pair of free throws in a one-and-one situation to leave CMCC needing a three to force overtime. Head coach Dave Gonyea let his team play out the final possession, but Luke Jamieson was trapped by a double team and had the ball stripped from his hands as the clock hit zero.
In total, 11 different players scored for Kennebec Valley while ten registered at least a point for Central Maine in this early-season encounter. CMCC shot 44.1% from the field but was hurt by its 1-for-12 effort from beyond the arc. The rebound battle was nearly identical with the hosts holding a slight 35-34 edge. KVCC shot 51.0% from the field and made up for its 22 turnovers by going 11-for-24 from outside to pull of the victory.
The Mustangs next hit the road for two games over the coming weeks, visiting prep school opponent Lee Academy on Friday before taking on NCAA DIII school Maine Maritime Academy on October 28th. CMCC is next at home on October 30th when they face another NCAA DIII opponent in UMaine-Farmington.
