USCAA #2 Seawolves Top Knights
December 1, 2012

USCAA #2 Seawolves Top Knights

Baker Scores 25, Vellek 21 in loss

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South Portland, ME - Despite having a 2 point lead at halftime, the Lady Knights of Vermont Tech could not hold off the #2 ranked team in the USCAA on the road. The Seawolves of Southern Maine were able to wear down the Knights, foul out one starter and utlilize their overall roster number edge to pull out a four point victory. Final score was 65-61 in favor of the home team.

The Knights walked into South Portland with a game plan and executed it extremely well in the opening half. They knew they had a difficult task to take down Southern Maine, but came out extremely strong. SM was going to use wave after wave of personnel, utilizing a little from everyone in order to try to defeat a short-handed Knights' squad. SM had 9 different players score in the first half, led by Rogetta Donalson, who scored 6 of her 11 in the first period. Ama Baker (Jr./Fitchburg, MA) led the Knights in the first half with 10 of her eventual 25 points. She added 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 7steals in the game. At the half, the Knights led 25-23.

In the second half the teams remained extremely close, matching basket for basket with nothing coming easy. Baker scored 15, while Senior Kelly Vellek (Burlington, VT) awakened hitting 14 of her 21 points in the second. Those points are in addition to her 7 steals, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. SM continued to use a balanaced scoring attack, keeping minutes short in order to try to leave their players fresh.

No player on SM played more than 12 minutes in the half, and the most anyone played in the game was 28. In comparison, VTC had four play 40 minutes and one only playing 28 because of fouling out of the game. That foul out at the 11 minute to go mark of the second, which was Paige Wells (So./Orleans, VT) was perhaps the difference in the game. The score was 37-35 in favor of SM at the time of the foul, but within two minutes the margin was 6 points, and within three it was 8. Once Wells was out of the game, SM used their size and strength advantage inside to secure rebounds and earn many second chance points that was the eventual difference in the game.

SMCC owned the boards, winning the rebounding battle 66-45. The Seawolves were led by Esther Palmieri with 9 rebounds, while Wells matched her with 9 of her own for Vermont Tech. The rebounding differential led directly to the lopsided overall 2nd chance points, the advantage of which went to the home team 28 points to just 10 for the Knights.

Vermont Tech was also hurt by having a very thin bench. The Lady Knights did an incredible job hanging with SM despite having just one substitute for the contest. SM used that to their full advantage, as their bench outscored the visitors 38-0.

VTC is now 6-2, 3-1 and finishes the weekend road trip on Sunday when they face the #1 ranked team in the USCAA Central Maine. Game time scheduled for 12pm, to be followed by the men's contest.