FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team opened up their season in blowout fashion on Wednesday evening at Dearborn Gymnasium with an 84-61 win over the University of New England.

The Beavers put together a very solid, well-rounded performance on Wednesday evening as eight Beavers scored at least six points. Junior transfer from Southern Maine Community College, Zachary Mickle (Billerica, Mass.) scored 19 points to help pace the Beavers. D3hoops.com third team All-American, Terion Moss (Portland, Maine) contributed a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Moss also added four assists, two blocks and a steal.

Mickle was feeling it early for the Beavers as he scored or assisted on 11 of the Beavers first 15 points of the game, helping the Beavers grab a 15-7 lead 6:45 into the game. A Ray Evans (Troy, N.Y.) jumper with 11:25 left in the first half cut the Beaver lead to three at 17-14. The Beavers would respond going on a 30-8 run to close out the half and take a 25 point lead into halftime.

The Nor'easters did not fold in the second half, picking up their energy and hitting more shots. A Mickle three pointer 3:16 into the second half pushed the Beaver lead up to their largest of the game at 29. After exchanging baskets for a stretch of six minutes, the Nor'easters would go on a 19-7 run to cut the Beaver lead to 17 with 1:39 to play. But that was as close as the Nor'Easters would get.

A couple of transition layups from first years Charlie Rask (Hillsboro, Oregon) and Jordan Anthony (Farmington, Conn.) pushed the lead back over 20 for the Beavers.

The Beavers were able to control the paint on both ends of the floor tonight, in large part thanks to a great team defensive and rebounding effort. The Beavers held a 45-35 advantage on the boards and 48-28 advantage in points in the paint. Sophomore forward Will Harriman (Biddeford, Maine) picked up seven rebounds, including a pair of tip-ins. Sophomore Dylan Griffin (Saco, Maine) grabbed six boards and scored six points. Senior center Jack Kane (Cumberland, Maine) recorded four blocks to go along with nine points.

Evans scored a team high 11 for the Nor'Easters while Ant Moynihan (Worthington, Mass.) chipped in 10.

UP NEXT

The Beavers will hit the road on Friday evening when they take on the #8 team in the country, Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 5:30 PM.