SeaWolves Conclude Season With USCAA Quarterfinal Appearance

UNIONTOWN, Penn.—The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team concluded its season Monday, Mar. 9 defeated 81-70 by the #1-seeded Wildcats from Johnson & Wales University Charlotte in the quarterfinal round of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournament.

Johnson & Wales went ahead 10-3 to begin the game and took a 40-29 lead into the locker room at the break. The Wildcats led by as much as 17 points in the second half, until the SeaWolves cut it to four with 4:02 remaining in regulation. The Wildcats strung together a 7-0 run to gain enough separation to move to the next round.

Sophomore forward Anthony Lobor (Portland, Maine) continued his success at the tournament with 17 points and 15 rebounds in 36 minutes of work. Both first-years Pedro Fonseca (Portland, Maine) and Marios Tsielos (Tripoli, Greece) totaled 14 points—Tsielos 5-7 shooting and a perfect 4-4 from the three.

The Wildcats' Robert Hobson led all scorers in the game with 26 highlighted by five triples.

In a post-game interview, Head Coach Matt Richards reflected, "This year has been an absolute pleasure and a rewarding experience for all players and coaches. I want to thank our three seniors for their unwavering dedication to the program and welcome back a special group of players that bear all of the intangibles that will elevate this program to the next level. Thank you to our fans and supporters of the program for another wonderful season!"

The SeaWolves finished with a 21-9 overall record.

Johnson & Wales will play NTHI in the semifinal round Tuesday, Mar. 10.