GORHAM -- The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team slipped to 1-5 with an 86-74 non-conference loss at University of Southern Maine tonight at Hill Gymnasium.

With the win Southern Maine improves to 6-2 overall.  The Beavers, suffering their fourth consecutive defeat, fall to 1-5 on the season and are scheduled to host University of New England Saturday at 3 p.m.

Corteze Isaac (Germantown, Md./Northwest) and Otis Smith (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Ocoee) combined for 45 points to lead the Huskies. Isaac had a game-high 25 points to pace the Huskies, including a 4-for-5 effort from three-point range.  Smith was a force in the paint with 20 points and nine rebounds. Mike Poulin (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) added 14 points, two assists and two steals while Devin Chambers (Memphis, Tenn./Oak Hill Academy) chipped in with 11 points and three steals.

Pet Sumner (Cramerton, N.C.) led the Beavers with 17 points on a 6-for-12 effort from the field. Andrew Dean (Gorham, Maine) and Eric Taylor (Oakland, Maine) each had 16 points. Tim Gingras (Winthrop, Maine) added 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds.  Taylor stands at 998 points for his collegiate career.

Despite jumping out to an early 10-2 lead, the Huskies headed into their locker room trailing the Beavers 33-32.  Chambers' open court steal and layup with 13:32 to play looked as though the Huskies were in control of the game, Farmington battled back over the next six minutes with a 17-4 run to lead USM 19-14 with 7:19 to play.  Sumner was instrumental in the Farmington run, scoring eight of his 17 points. 

Both teams battled back and forth with the lead switching hands twice and the score pulling even four times in the final minutes of play.  The Beavers gained the upperhand when Dean drilled one of his three three-pointers in the game with 45 seconds to play. Chambers closed out the half sinking a pair of free throws for the Huskies, for the one-point UMF advantage.

In the second half, both teams again exchanged blows and the score was knotted up at 40 points each following a three from Isaac with 17:52 to play.  The Huskies were able to pull away from the Beavers over the next four minutes using a decisive 13-3 run to lead 53-43 with 14:13 to play.  Five different players scored in the run for Southern Maine, led by four points from Poulin.

Farmington trimmed the Husky lead to eight 10 times over the remainder of the half, and pulled to within six on a traditional three-point play from Taylor with 4:33 to play, but the Huskies were able to maintain their advantage the rest of the way for the 86-74 final.

Southern Maine finished the game shooting 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the field and 78.8 percent (26-for-33) from the free throw line.  Farmington shot 40.3 percent (25-for-62) from the floor.