UMFK captures regional crown

AUGUSTA – Alton Jones scored a game-high 31 points and Chris Sutton had 22 points, 12 assists and 10 steals as the University of Maine-Fort Kent upended Bunker Hill College (Mass.) 113-78 to win the Northeast Division of the National Small College Athletic Association at the Augusta Civic Center on Sunday.

UMFK, 24-5, will now travel to play in the National NSCAA Tournament in Flint, Mich. The tourney begins on March 7.

Bruce MacPherson had 14 points for the winners, Scott Richardson scored 13, Eric Vallecillo tossed in 12 points and Nathan Guy had 10 to go with a team-high nine rebounds.

A full-court press forced several turnovers in the second half as the Bengals pulled away from the Bulldogs.

Roy Cobb’s 28 points and 19 rebounds guided Bunker Hill. Pedro Florintina had 20 points and Dave Sax had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Lou Forte had 13 points.

UM-Fort Kent 113

Guy 4-2-10, Stickings, Richardson 6-0-13, Jones 11-7-31, Warman 2-1-7, Vallecillo 5-0-12, Sutton 10-0-22, MacPherson 6-2-14, Miller 2-0-4

Bunker Hill College 78

Johnson, McDonald, Sax 4-9-17, Florintina 8-0-20, Forte 5-0-13, Cobb 12-4-28

3-pt. goals: Jones 2, Warman 2, Vallecillo 2, Sutton 2, Richardson; Florintina 4, Forte 3

Halftime: UM-Fort Kent 48-36