Balanced Battle: Seawolves Fall to Bobcats 84-77

PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. — The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) men's basketball team put together multiple surges in the second half but fell to Paul Smith's College's 84–77 on Saturday afternoon at the Saunders Sports Complex. The Seawolves move to 5–3 overall and 2–3 in YSCC play. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

SMCC opened the game with a quick jumper from Ellis Macea (Lawrence, Mass.), followed shortly after by threes from Chance Mercier (Ellsworth, Maine) and steady post scoring from Sean Bosia (Dracut, Mass.) to take an early 14–7 lead at 14:00. Paul Smith's responded with a 10–0 run, forcing a Seawolves timeout.

The middle stages of the first half turned into a back-and-forth exchange. Nathan Mugisha (Rwanda, East Africa) sparked offense with strong finishes, Franck Moron (Billerica, Mass.) added baskets off the bench, and Josh Jones (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) knocked down a three at the 4:16 put the Seawolves within one.

A late Sam DeWitt (Hudson, N.H.) three (00:44) pushed SMCC ahead 34–32, but the Bobcats closed the half on three free throws to take a 35–34 lead into the break. 

Paul Smith's opened the second half connecting from deep, but Mercier answered with a layup and a three-pointer to retake the lead 39–35. From there, the Bobcats heated up—fueling a 16–6 run with tough drives and perimeter shooting.

SMCC battled back behind Bosia's interior scoring and a pair of free throws from DeWitt, trimming the evening the score at 55–55 with 9:31 remaining. Paul Smith's, countered with another burst: a Ben Marra three at 7:15 and a Manny Belcher transition finish pushed the margin to 63–57.

Jace Bessey (Jay, Maine) hit a three at 6:34 to keep SMCC within striking distance, and late free throws from Mercier made it 71–79 with under a minute left. But the Bobcats converted at the line and held off a late SMCC push despite a last-second three from Mercier. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Chance Mercier — 23 points, 3 rebounds
• Sean Bosia — 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• Sam DeWitt — 11 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds
• Nathan Mugisha — 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists
• Franck Moron — 8 points, 7 rebounds
• Team shooting: 45.9% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 73.7% FT

NEXT UP

SMCC (5–3, 2–3 YSCC) returns to action on Sunday, November 30, when the Seawolves travel to take on the University of Maine–Farmington. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM.