Mustangs Go 3-for-3 on Road, Beat Knights by 50

Randolph, VT – CMCC Women's Basketball finished off its three games in three days road trip with an 89-39 win against Vermont State University-Randolph. Anais Balla Zambo and Hunter Hartsgrove led the team with 12 points apiece, and Zoe Bedford joined them in double figures with 11. In total, 14 different players featured in the game playing for at least ten minutes.

"Winning three games in three days in not an easy task, especially on the road," said head coach Andrew Morong after the game. "However, that's exactly what you have to do to win a national championship. We considered this trip a version of that. We still have things to clean up, but we are right where we need to be."

The Mustangs were playing the Knights for the first time this season after having their first semester match-up rescheduled to the end of January. They came out fast in the first quarter, making ten baskets in the first ten minutes and putting up 24 points.

Central Maine played its typical fast-paced, intense-defense game, routinely denying VTSU-Randolph clean looks at the basket, blocking five shots and forcing the hosts into 19 turnovers while holding them to shooting 27.4% from the floor. Hartsgrove and Bedford knocked down threes in the first half to head to the locker room with a 26-point lead.

CMCC opened the second half with a 15-2 run to put the result beyond all doubt. Their 28 points in the third was the team's most in any of the quarters. Gabbie Tibbetts went 3-for-3 from the field in that ten-minute stretch, finishing the game with nine points, and Hartsgrove got her final four points to round out her night.

The fourth quarter offered a chance to tinker with different lineup combinations against the tiring Knights. Kennedy Lampert scored five points to end with seven total, while Caitlyn McCoy splashed two triples. When the horn sounded, the Mustangs had a 50-point win to improve to 16-0 overall and 8-0 in Yankee Small College Conference play.

All-in-all, 12 of the 14 CMCC players made at least one field goal, and the visitors controlled the boards with a 58-24 advantage in rebounds. Central Maine looked to dial in its outside shooting, connecting on 13 shots from beyond the arc for a 31.0% rate. Marielle Benoit led VTSU-Randolph with ten points while Jasmine Mooney, Lily Kalakay, and Jasmine Reyes each scored nine in the loss. The two sides meet again in Auburn on January 31^st.

After starting the second semester with five games on the road, CMCC returns to Auburn next Saturday, January 24^th against Washington County. The Mustangs and Golden Eagles tip-off at Kirk Hall at 1:00 pm.