Mustangs Soar Past Golden Eagles, 126-87

Auburn, ME – Will Duke scored a career-high 30 points and CMCC Men's Basketball recorded its most points in a game in 12 years, as the Mustangs emphatically defeated Washington County, 126-87. Central Maine shot 57.3% from the field and hit 15 three-pointers to cruise to its largest margin of victory this season.

"We remind the guys that this is a process and the goal is to be playing our best basketball as we head down the stretch toward the Yankee (Conference) tournament," head coach Dave Gonyea said. "I thought Will had an excellent game, not just with his 30 points, but with how he directed the offense. Creighty and Will work well together and really feed off each other. We rely on Khaden and J.T. to control the glass, and they delivered. We'll take a day off and then get back to work as we prepare for UMA on Wednesday."

CMCC led from start to finish. Creighty Dickson hit a three on the team's opening possession, and the hosts raced out to a 7-0 lead. It ballooned to an 18-5 advantage just five minutes in with Duke and Dickson trading shots from beyond the arc. The two Maine natives combined for seven triples in the first half. J.T. Pound's jumper at the end of the half sent the Mustangs to the locker room with a 55-36 lead.

Luke Jamieson picked up the outside shooting mantle to start the second half, hitting two in the first three minutes. Khaden Moore threw down a dunk that got the fans on their feet but was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim. That made it 88-53 with 12:24 remaining.

Central Maine hit the century mark relatively early in the game. An Ayden Jefferson three-pointer made it 101-71 with still 7:46 left on the clock. WCCC had no answer for CMCC's depth of the bench. The home team put 16 players into the game with 11 recording field goals. The shorthanded and deflated visitors still managed to keep the deficit under 40 points with a Christian Roebuck jumper at the buzzer.

The team's 126 points was its most scored in a single game since a 126-71 victory over UMaine-Presque Isle on January 18, 2014. Duke's 30 points beat out his previous career high of 24 set on last week's road trip. The Camden Hills Regional High School product finished 12-for-17 from the field and 6-for-9 from beyond the arc. Moore followed him with 21 points, scoring 20+ for the 10^th time this season. Dickson (18) and Da'Vohn Jonas (12) also reached double figures. Jonas put up a double-double in his first home appearance of the season, collecting 12 rebounds and dealing out five assists. Dickson was one assist shy of a double-double himself, finishing with nine. Pound had a game-high 13 rebounds. Sascha Alexeeff had an impressive nine points in just 13 minutes after shooting 4-for-4 from the field.

Isaiah Fox led all scorers with 32 points in a losing effort for the Golden Eagles. The guard played 34 minutes off the bench and showed a penchant for drawing contact on the way to the rim, shooting 15-for-18 from the foul line. Central Maine was dominant on the boards with a 57-28 edge in rebounds, and both teams committed 14 turnovers.

The Mustangs return to their home floor on Wednesday night to face UMaine-Augusta in its final game at Kirk Hall in the regular season. The team's senior night game will start at 8:00 pm as part of a men's and women's doubleheader.