FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington men’s basketball team jumped out to an early 19-point lead and held on down the stretch, cruising to an 85-73 victory over Thomas College on Saturday afternoon in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) battle at Dearborn Gymnasium.
The Records:
The win for Farmington moves them above the .500 mark, improving to 12-11 overall and 9-3 in NAC play. The loss drops Thomas to 7-14 overall and 4-8 in conference play.
How it Happened:
Farmington’s offense was in rhythm from the start, with first-year point guard Gabe Michaud (Gorham, Maine) setting the tempo. Michaud found Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine) for a quick layup on the first possession of the game. On the next possession, Michaud connected with Simon Chadbourne (Portland, Maine), who used a screen from Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) to get open, drilling a deep three while getting fouled. Chadbourne missed the free throw, but Farmington still led 5-2 early.
Just a minute later, Michaud drove to the hoop twice, converting back-to-back layups to keep the Beavers’ offense rolling. Parker Desjardins hit consecutive threes for the Terriers to keep them within striking distance.
With 9:46 left in the opening half, Farmington held a 24-20 lead. Over the next 5:52, the Beavers went on a 15-0 run, opening up a 19-point lead, their largest of the game. Harriman led the charge, scoring eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the floor.
Camryn Yorke closed the quarter strong for Thomas, hitting a pair of threes and adding a mid-range jumper to lead a 13-4 run that cut the gap to 43-33 by halftime.
The second half was evenly played, as Farmington never led by more than 14 points. Jackson Ruelke dominated for the Terriers in the second half, scoring 15 of his 21 points to help keep the game close. The Terriers trimmed the lead to six after a Ruelke jumper made it 64-58 with 9:30 left to play.
Farmington answered with a quick 7-2 run, regaining a double-digit lead thanks to buckets from Griffin, Zach McLaughlin (Hampden, Maine), and Chadbourne.
Harriman continued his efficient shooting, getting easy baskets at the rim to help the Beavers extend their lead back to as much as 15 in the closing minutes. Harriman scored nine points in the second half, while Griffin added 13 to close out the Farmington win.
Stats of the Game:
The Beavers shot an efficient 56.5% (35-for-62) from the field, while holding the Terriers to just 43.5% (30-for-69) shooting. Farmington also had a 16-6 advantage in free throw attempts, making 11-of-16, while Thomas was 4-of-6. The Beavers finished the game with a 39-33 edge on the glass.
Leaders – Farmington:
- Harriman finished with a team-high 21 points, missing just one shot (8-for-9 from the field) and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
- Chadbourne added 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists, shooting 7-of-13 from the field.
- Griffin posted a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, also contributing four assists. He shot 9-for-16 from the floor.
Leaders – Thomas:
- Ruelke finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 9-for-16 from the field and dishing out six assists.
- Desjardins added 19 points, shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
- Yorke chipped in with 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
UP NEXT:
The Beavers return to action next Saturday for their regular season finale at home against Husson University. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM.
