No. 10 Ranked Lady Knights Fall to No. 3 Ranked CMCC
01.24.22
Taylor Enright
Warwick, R.I. – January 24, 2022: The No. 10 ranked (NJCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Poll) Lady Knights women’s basketball team traveled to Auburn, ME to face the No. 3 ranked (USCAA Coaches Poll) Mustangs of Central Maine Community College (CMCC) on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Knights fell to the Mustangs 49-81. With the loss CCRI drops to 11-3 on the season.
Central Maine came into this game riding a 5-game winning streak and had not lost a game since the two teams met in Warwick December 12th. A contest the Lady Knights won 64-49. The Mustangs were able to exact some revenge on CCRI on their home court in Auburn, ME.
The Mustangs imposed their will upon the Lady Knights from early on in the game and never let up. The Lady Knights never got into a rhythm due to the immense pressure put on by the Mustangs who forced CCRI into 47 turnovers for the game. The Lady Knights are ranked No. 10 by the NJCAA allowing just 13.3 turnovers per game but the Mustangs nearly tripled that number in this contest. This tremendous defensive effort allowed CMCC to have 32 more shot attempts than CCRI with the Mustangs shooting 28-85 to CCRI’s 21-53. In addition, CMCC outshot the Lady Knights 13-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. This made for a long game for the Lady Knights.
After the first quarter CMCC led 21-14 led by Ja’Naia Moran who scored 10 points on 3-3 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc and four points from Jade Smedberg. The Lady Knights got four points apiece from Taylor Enright (West Warwick, RI) and co-captain Michelle Moreno (Providence, RI). In the second quarter, CCRI committed 15 turnovers which led to easy baskets for CMCC while they also held the Lady Knights to just 10 points in the frame to extend their lead to 15 points going into the halftime break leading 39-24.
In the third quarter Central Maine put the game out of reach outscoring CCRI 24-11. The Mustangs’ combination of smothering defense while sinking four more 3-pointers proved to be too much as the Mustangs entered the final frame leading 63-35. CMCC would win by the final tally of 81-49.
Elizabeth Bruno (Providence, RI) led CCRI in scoring with 10 points with two steals and a rebound. Taylor Enright came off the bench to score nine points, including a 3-pointer with seven rebounds. Co-captain Michelle Moreno added eight points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Mustangs’ Eliza Brault led all scorers with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and two assists.
The next game for the Lady Knights will be Wednesday the 26th at 6:00pm when they will host the Winchendon School to the Cullen Fieldhouse in Warwick, RI.
For all things CCRI Athletics, be sure to follow @CCRIAthletics on Instagram and Twitter!
The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 10,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.