SMCC Casualty To The Free Throw In Loss To NHTI

CONCORD, N.H.—The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team snapped its six-game win streak at NHTI on Thursday, Feb. 1, overcome by the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) first place Lynx 98-92.

SMCC led by as much nine points 16-7 to begin the game, but were then outscored 44-28 to finish the half as a result of 60 percent shooting by NHTI.

The SeaWolves looked poised for a comeback cutting their deficit to three 67-64 midway through the second, but the momentum soon shifted to the home team following a 13-2 run by the Lynx. SMCC finished strong outscoring NHTI 48-47 in the final 20 minutes but came up six points shy as time expired.

Junior captain Dylan Silvestri (Pelham, N.H.) topped all scorers in the game with 26— the 6'3'' center also grabbed his 572^nd rebound to conquer sole possession of fifth all-time in program history. First-year Gregory Trinidad(Lawrence, Mass.) poured in 20 points on five made from downtown. Trinidad ranks second in the conference in three-pointers made at 53 on the season. Sophomore captain Anderson Kavutse (Westbrook, Maine) was a perfect 5-5 from the field.

The Lynx showed a balanced attack as five scored 11 or more. Aubrey Stephens came away with 23 points on 7-10 shooting; J'Quavious Thurmond scored his regular 19 points and added nine rebounds.

Despite missing 15, the Lynx got to the free-throw line 45 times to the SeaWolves' 20. This the difference-maker to NHTI's 13^th conference win of the season.

Now tied for the third spot in the YSCC table, SMCC stands 10-4 in conference play, 15-8 overall.

Waiting on deck are the Fighting Saints from the College of St. Joseph (Vt.) who come to town on Saturday, Feb. 3 as part of the Timothy D. Hagerman Alumni Day festivities. Tip off is slated for 3 p.m.

T-shirts will be available for purchase for $20 as all proceeds go to the Timothy D. Hagerman scholarship. For more information on scholarship visit: http://www.gosmccseawolves.com/General/2018_Hagerman_Alumni_Games

For the latest on SMCC's athletic programs, log onto GoSMCCSeawolves.com or follow Southern Maine Community College Athletics on Twitter @SMCCseawolves and on Facebook SMCC Seawolves.