Cougars Make Statement with Ninth Straight Win
MANCHESTER, CT – The rematch played out like a title fight between two top heavyweights. On December 16th in Groton, UConn-Avery Point handed Manchester Community College its only on-court loss, but the Cougars were able to split the series Wednesday night with a convincing 75-68 victory at East Catholic.
The NJCAA Region 21 West Division rivals entered the game as two of the top junior college teams in New England and played with playoff-like intensity and emotion in front of 180 boisterous fans.
Shanika Hines (Manchester) scored 26 points with 11 rebounds and Jhenel Franklin (Windsor) dazzled with 12 assists for MCC.
“I think those two are the best players in the region,” MCC Head Coach Robert Turner, Jr. said after Hines and Franklin played their final home game for the school. “Their desire to win pulled the whole team through.” The game also marked the final time MCC will play at East Catholic, their home for nearly four decades. The Cougar basketball program will move into the new gym on campus, which will be ready in the fall.
While the school and fans honored departing sophomores Hines and Franklin, along with Katurah Andrews (East Hartford) and Amy Griswold (Ellington), the torch may have been passed down to freshman Erika Murphy, who scored 21 points in MCC’s (17-2) ninth straight win. Murphy has bumped her average up to 18.5 points per game after seven straight games with at least 19 points while leading the team in minutes played (32.4 per game) and free-throws with 72 (68%).
UCAP (19-5) was well represented in the crowd, cheering on locals Karen Manning (Bolton), Natalie Smith (Manchester), Sarah Paternostro (South Glastonbury) and Brittany Demers (East Windsor). Manning, a 5’2” point guard, scored 12 points and was a force in the Lady Pointer backcourt. Paternostro had 14 points and Smith contributed eight. Brianna Reilly led UCAP with 17 points.
MCC held a 38-28 lead at halftime, thanks in part to 10-point run after falling behind early, 5-2. The Cougars never gave up the lead after taking it six minutes into the game, though UCAP made serious moves in the middle of both halves.
Hines dropped a three-pointer with six minutes to play, followed immediately by a Murphy basket that was set up by a startling Franklin steal at midcourt. The quick five points opened up an eight point gap that UCAP could not close.
“We really wanted it this game,” Turner said after his sophomore class improved to 37-5 over two years. “This was a big one. They beat us the last time when we didn’t play our best basketball.”
The MCC Woman’s basketball team joined the school’s Men’s and Women’s soccer teams by winning all of their home games this season, leaving the Athletic Department’s home unbeaten streak at 32 games. The Cougars are off until Sunday, February 22nd when they travel to Dean College to play the Bulldogs in a 1 PM game in their season finale.
