Hutchins leads Owl men to win
PRESQUE ISLE — The University of Maine at Presque Isle men used the three-point shooting of junior guard Aaron Hutchins to defeat Southern Maine Community College Saturday, while the Owl women lost a hard-fought contest that took two overtimes to decide.
In the men’s game, Hutchins hit on 7 of 12 three-point attempts on his way to scoring 30 points and leading the Owls to a 72-67 victory.
The win moves the Owls to 2-1 on the young season, while the Seawolves fell to 9-2.
The Owls built a 13-point advantage early when a Hutchins jumper put the home team up, 25-12 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. UMPI would go on to take a nine-point advantage into the lockerroom at the break, 33-24.
UMPI was able to keep the ’Wolves at arm’s length much of the second half, never leading by less than seven points in the first 10 minutes. With 6:05 remaining though, SMCC made their move. Three jumpers by Mike Harmon over the next three-plus minutes fueled a 13-4 run that actually gave the SeaWolves a 64-62 advantage with 2:40 remaining.
The Owls immediately answered with a Michael Warner three-point play to give UMPI back a lead they would not relinquish again. After a Jayson Burke free throw, Warner nailed a three from the left wing to give UMPI a 69-64 lead with 48 seconds to play and effectively put things out of reach.
Warner finished the game with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, while Patrick Manifold chipped in 13 points to complete a trio of Owls in double figures.
In a women’s game in which neither team was able to extend a lead beyond five points, the visiting Seawolves knocked off UM-Presque Isle, 71-69, in double-overtime.
SMCC’s Rogetta Donalson hit a jump shot with 45 seconds remaining the second extra frame to give her team a 70-69 lead. In the ensuing possession, the Owls were unable to regain the lead despite getting a jumper from Amanda Hotham and a putback attempt by Brigitte Pratt that were both off the mark.
SMCC’s Esther Palmieri hit a free throw with three seconds remaining to seal the hard-fought victory for the visitors.
The Owls’ best opportunity for a win came at the end of the first overtime. Hotham hit a three with 27 seconds remaining to give her team a 64-62 lead. Needing one defensive stop, the Owls looked to get it when a wild shot from the Seawolves seemed destined to go out of bounds on the baseline. Instead, a diving save to Donalson led to a layup and a foul with a chance for the Seawolves to steal a win. Donalson could not convert the three-point play at the free throw line however and the game continued to a second OT period.
The win moved SMCC to 7-1 on the season, while the Owls fell to 0-3.
Owl senior Emily Pelletier scored 17 points while playing all 50 minutes in the contest due in part to an early injury to fellow starting guard Olivia McNally, who was unable to return. UMPI’s Doni Yendriga led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor.
